Feathers and Follies
by Chappy-the-Bunny
Summary: Being reborn into a world of modern civilization, a world where Titans have long been diminished and are only conversed about in tales like some sort of mythology, is the greatest gift that any former victim of their peril could ask for, if, and only if, they're cursed by the memory. Unfortunately for Eren Yeager... [ Complete summary in the beginning of Chapter 1 ]
1. Death Is Warm

**Summary**: Being reborn into a world of modern civilization, a world where Titans have long been diminished and are only conversed about in tales like some sort of mythology, is the greatest gift that any former victim of their peril could ask for, if, and only if, they're cursed by the memory. Unfortunately for Eren Yeager, his time in this new and exciting world has been cut short, when a freak accident occurred on his way to school one, chilly autumn morning. Unable to successfully cross over into the afterlife, something within the boy of budding adolescence tells him that he needs to search for a certain something, rather, a certain someone, before his departure. Surely he hasn't met this person before...right?

* * *

**Feathers and Follies**

Whoever said death was cold was living in a fool's paradise.

For me, death was anything but. It was hot, suffocating even. Maybe it was because of the blood that pooled from my wounds, blanketing me in its warmth. Or maybe it was because of the heat exhaust that puffed against my face, cascading across my nose and my cheeks, much like the gentle touch of a lover.

Somehow, it all felt familiar. Death, that is. This had happened before, right? I've died many times, in many different ways. I don't remember all of them, in fact, only one stands out the most. That's because _he_ was there. _He_ was with me that time, holding my hand and promising me things that I'm sure he didn't even believe himself.

I can still remember him saying that I was going to be okay, telling me that I was going to make it out of that mess alive. Who was he trying to convince? Himself? Probably, because he sure as Hell wasn't convincing me. I was a goner. From the moment that Titan had ferociously bit into my neck and had ruthlessly ripped me from my safe haven, my fate had been sealed.

It's funny, really. Back then, I had felt like such a hero, but in reality, my death had been nothing short of an anticlimax. It would have been quicker, too, if he hadn't interfered. _He_ had always been a hero, a _true_ hero. My hero.

Many of the feelings of this current death compared to that one. During both encounters with the gates of gold, I felt warm. I wasn't scared. Okay, well, maybe a little, but who isn't afraid of the unknown? Where would I be reborn this time? Norway? China? England? Would I be a boy or a girl, and would my gender match my sex? Would I be a sibling or an only child? Would my parents love me, or would I have no parents at all? Yeah. The unknown is pretty scary, and it was time that I had to come face-to-face with it once again.

* * *

_November 1st, 2013_

* * *

My alarm clock was obnoxious. It was high-pitched and ridiculously loud. I told myself, every weekday morning that it went off, that I would chuck it out the window and buy a new one. I didn't care what it looked like or whether it was analog or digital. I just wanted a better sounding one.

I never bought it.

As I crawled out of bed, clawing at the sheets that I must have kicked off in my sleep, I soon realized that it was a new month. Last night had been Halloween, which must have made today the first day of November. Nothing monumental, just an observation.

It was Friday, which meant that my first period class was Biology. I liked Biology, for the most part. My grades sucked, and I was borderline failing it, but my teacher liked me enough to let me sleep through his sermons. So, yeah. Biology.

The only good thing about my Godawful alarm clock was that it served the duel purpose of being both a clock and a radio. With the flip of a switch, the beeping had stopped and the oddly soothing voice of the weatherman filled the void. He said something about how it was going to be colder than normal for this time of the year, but I was only half paying attention. I was too busy slipping out of my pajamas and into clothes that more than likely disagreed with what the meteorologist was saying. Jeans and a t-shirt. Close enough.

I was going to make my bed, I really was, but in the last moment, I chose against it. Why? I'm not really sure. Maybe it was because I enjoyed the feeling of wrinkled bedsheets, as opposed to clean and crisp ones. Or maybe it was because I was lazy. Yeah, I was probably just lazy.

Pulling on a pair of mismatched socks, I reached over and turned off the radio, switching on the alarm feature by accident. "Geez," I sighed, getting so fed up with the darn thing that I left my bedroom without shutting it off.

"Eren," my mom said, calling to me as I descended the stairs, "is that your alarm clock I hear?" She must have been in the kitchen. The house smelled of burnt toast and eggs.

"Yeah, it is," I answered simply. I entered the kitchen and immediately walked over to the counter to inspect our toaster. The poor thing. It was so old that all it ever did was conk out on us. On the rare occasions when it _did_ work, and oh, those occasions were very rare, brutally burned toast it was.

"Still having trouble getting it shut it off?" she laughed, scooping eggs onto a plate that I assumed was mine. When I grabbed for it, she didn't swat my hand away. "Maybe you should pick up a new one on your way home from school. You said you wanted one, right? I'll give you the money for it."

"Cool, thanks," I said, shoving a forkful of the scrambled yolks into my mouth.

My mom was great. She always knew whenever something was bothering me. Even though my current annoyance was a stupid alarm clock, she's had her moments when she's helped me with deeper issues. Like that one time in the fifth grade when the kids in my class picked on me, because my eyebrows were too bushy. It was a stupid thing to get picked on for, but little, ten-year-old me had been greatly affected by it. She knew. On the afternoons when I would sluggishly walk home from school with my shoulders in a slump and my hair covering half of my face, she knew that something was amiss.

She wasn't a helicopter-of-a-mother, though. She never once called in to the teachers to file a complaint, nor did she have a meeting with the principal. Instead, she gave me advice, and honestly, I'm glad that she did. I keep her words close, whenever I can. They're what will help me progress smoothly through this lifetime.

My mom left for work before I left for school. She worked at a daycare for mentally impaired children. It was an admirable line of work, and now that I was older, I could finally understand the influence that she held on those children's lives.

I can still remember when she used to bring me to the daycare center with her. Most of the kids that she took care of were babies, so there wasn't much that I could do to help other than hand her diapers and help clean out the bottles.

Basically inhaling my last bite of eggs, I dropped my plate into the sink and ran the water. It was a habit I had acquired from my father. God knew what he was up to now. He had left my mom and I when I was in the seventh grade, so needless to say, the wounds were still fresh. It didn't really matter to me, though. So long as I had Mom, things would be fine.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and shoved my feet into my sneakers. My toes tickled against the tips of each of them, causing me to groan. Shoes were bothersome. Just when you bought a pair, you'd find yourself already outgrowing them. I'd have to ask for some new ones for Christmas.

After locking the front door, I walked down the driveway and stepped onto the adjoining sidewalk. In some ways, it was kind of nice living so close to school, but in many others, it was a pain. Try telling your teachers any excuse for being late, and chances are they won't believe you.

I turned the corner, picking up speed when I noticed how late it was getting. Not only that, but it was pretty cold. I really should have paid more attention to the weatherman.

"Hey, Eren!"

My body whipped around at the sound of my name being called. It was Mina. She was a freshman, a year younger than me, but she was smart. We had the same Geometry class together. "Oh, hey," I said, slowing down to allow her to catch up.

"Did you finish the homework we had?" she asked, as she twirled one of her pigtails flirtatiously. I knew she had a crush on me, but I never acknowledged it, much the same way that she never acknowledged our past life. I doubted she remembered, and I would have looked like a fool for asking her such a thing. "It was pretty tough, right?"

"Yeah, it was," I nodded, "but no, I didn't finish it."

"Ooh!" she giggled accusingly. "You're going to get in trouble!"

I shrugged. "Eh, whatever." Really, I couldn't care less. Math had never been my strong suit, and all of these shapes and stuff were just playing with my head. Give me a two-plus-two equation over this garbage, please.

We continued to walk together in silence, lost in our thoughts. She was probably consumed with frilly thoughts or thoughts about me, while I was mostly trying to use my make-believe mind powers to keep her quiet.

"Say, Eren, do you like me?" My mind powers had failed me.

"Huh?" I asked, trying to sound shocked. "What are you talking about, Mina? Of course I like you. We're friends, right?"

"Well, yeah, but that's not what I meant." Her finger stilled, hooking against the elastic band that held a portion of her hair together. "I mean, do you _like_ me. Like, _like_ like."

"Oh," I said. I didn't know what else to say, so I said it again. "Oh."

"So...?" Man, she was persistent. I should have known better. She had been persistent, albeit under different circumstances, back then, too. Whatever the case, she was easing closer towards me and I wasn't totally okay with that.

What had I done to deserve this? It was Friday. I just wanted to go to school, go home, watch TV, and laze around for the rest of the day like any other kid my age. Was this because I didn't shut off my alarm clock? That stupid thing would be the death of me, really.

"I think," I began, instantly regretting my choice of words, "I think we should stay as just friends. It's nothing personal or anything, I just-"

"It's because I'm a freshman, isn't it?" she hissed, her mood doing a complete one-eighty that I had not been expecting.

"No, I-"

"Then there's gotta be someone else, right? Someone else that you like?"

"No, it's not that, either. Mina, I-"

"Whatever, Eren," she interrupted. "Just, whatever." She flipped one of her pigtails over her shoulder and turned her nose up a me. "I'll see you in Geometry." And with that, she quickened her stride and crossed the street before I even had the chance to process what had just happened. Seriously, what had just happened?

Mom always said that with my attitude, I would be bad at understanding how girls felt. Still, I couldn't help but think that Mina was the one who was wrong in this situation, not me. I had done nothing wrong; she was the one who overreacted. With a heavy sigh, I put one foot forward and began to cross the street.

This was about to become one of those scenarios where you've done something so many times in your life that it's almost become automatic. A reflex, if you will. In my high school years, as well as all of my elementary and middle school years prior, I had crossed this very same street what had felt like a million times before. Some days I looked, some days I didn't. Today was one of those days that I probably should have looked.

It had all happened so suddenly that I couldn't even understand it if I tried. One second I was on my feet, crossing the street just like any other day, and the next, there was a roaring screech, a skid, and I was on the ground, my left arm bent backward out of its socket, beneath the belly of a car.

Everything was spinning out of control, like a merry-go-round that had been kicked into overdrive. My body must have been strapped on pretty tightly to that fake horse, because no matter how hard I willed it to move, nothing would budge.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," I could hear the driver panic, over and over to a higher power who was much to busy to hear his prayer. "H-hey! It'll be alright, okay? I'm calling an ambulance right now!"

It'll be alright, huh? That's funny. I've heard those words before. Back then, things were the furthest that they could have possibly been from "alright". Did this person honestly believe in what he was telling me? Of course not. The moment he had lost control of his vehicle on that slippery patch of black ice, he knew I was dead.

Black ice. Oh, that must have been what the weatherman was talking about, when he had stated that it was going to be colder than usual. There was some mention of rain in the early hours of the morning, wasn't there? I don't know. I can't remember. I should have paid more attention.

I couldn't see him, but I could tell that the driver was looking beneath his car, trying to get a glimpse of my condition. At first, I heard the muffled sound of him gasping, but then, I heard him gag. How rude is that? He's the one who did this to me. To be fair, it _was _an accident, a horrible one at that, but still, it was his fault for not paying more attention to his surroundings. Or maybe it was my fault for not paying attention to the weather. Who knows. All I knew was that whoever said death was cold had never experienced it himself.

As I laid there in my immobility, my vision started to give out. The exhaust from the car was damaging my eyes in ways that made me want to close them and never open them again. It was a shame, really. Mom always said that I had such beautiful eyes. She envied their vibrant green color over her own, dull and common brown ones. I don't see why, though. Her eyes are so kind.

In my drunken state of being on the verge of a bodily shut down, I had a brief flashback of my previous life, the one that had been directly before this one. I had been a little girl named Ellen. Up until this point, for the life of me, I couldn't remember how I had died. It was with a wave of nausea that it had all came back for just an instant. I guess it was what you would call "someone's life flashing before their eyes".

I was five, when I had died of a terrible heart disease. I'm sure my parents of that lifetime had mourned my passing for years. It made me feel a bit guilty that I had forgotten all about it until just now.

I should have been able to hear the sirens in the distance, but all of my senses, along with my consciousness, had begun to fade. The only thing that kept me hanging on were those words, those very words that were oh, so familiar.

_"You're going to be okay! Damnit, Eren! You're going to make it out of this mess alive, do you hear me?!"_

Yeah, I hear you. Loud and clear, actually. I hate to break the news to you, I really do, but it's already too late, much too late, over a thousand years too late.

Another lifetime, another anticlimactic death. I should have listened to the weatherman. I should have made my bed. I should have spent those extra two, tedious seconds trying to shut off my alarm clock.

* * *

_Hi there! Chappy here! :D_

_Isn't this exciting? A brand new chapter-fic! I'm seriously super pumped to write this one, so please bear with me. (:_

_This is my first chapter-fic for **Attack on Titan**, so I'm a little bit nervous. This is a huge fandom with lots of mega popular fanfics, so I really do hope that you'll enjoy what I have in store for my own._

_Thank you very much for taking the time to read! (:_

_- Chappy_


	2. Wings

This may sound strange, actually, it's probably going to sound very strange, but dying for however many times that I have has made me immune to the right of passage. I call it such, because that's what it is. It's a passage. You pass through from one life to the next, without so much as even a thought about the past however many years you spent occupying your prior, physical form.

The best way to describe the feeling, without getting too vulgar, is like saying your body is a broken TV remote, while your soul is a set of perfectly functional batteries. No matter how many different sets of new batteries, no matter how many different brands or labels, putting new batteries into a remote that is already broken won't make it work. The remote is gone, unable to function, and needs to be disposed of. The same is for bodies. Once a body loses its ability to preform humanly functions, the soul moves on. Where it goes is entirely defined by the person, I'm pretty sure.

Some people go to Heaven, some people go to Hell. I, however, have never gone to either. For as long as I can remember, I've been body-hopping ever since the year 851. It's tiring, I'll admit that, but I suppose it's necessary. There has to be a purpose for it, right? After all, in all of my years, through all of my reincarnations, I have never once crossed paths with...

Well, this was new. Any second now, I should have been experiencing my reincarnation. So, why did I feel so trapped? Why had everything gone so dark? So warm? So...incubated?

I couldn't move. My arms, my legs, every ligament of my body failed to accommodate me. Something such as this had never happened before. Was I going to be stillborn? That had never happened, either. My poor parents. All of my parents, from all of my lives. I'm so sorry.

A thought suddenly occurred to me. If I were to be stillborn, I shouldn't have been able to feel anything at all, right? I should have been dead for a secondary time. Well, that wasn't the case here. Other than being immobile, I could feel everything quite nicely. My stomach felt full, and my back felt arched. Moving up, up, up, my head felt hung, while down, down, stop, my shoulders felt incredibly heavy. Why were they so heavy? Were they broken?

With a surging force of curiosity, the nonexistent chains that had been holding me captive broke free and I allowed myself to stretch. God, it felt so good to stretch. However, it was through the rise of my arms that I realized I was inside of something. I had never doubted this factor, I just never bothered to make the connection. I must have been too bent out of shape over the idea of being stillborn.

Muffled noises from the outside, wherever that was, were starting to seep through my barrier. I could hear them, but I couldn't make out what was being said, or if it were words that were even being said at all. What was going on? Was I in a box? A cage? I was so confused. I needed to get out.

Though I had never felt more secure in my entire life, I balled my hand into a fist, and with as much force as my weary muscles could muster, I pounded the top of my infrastructure. It didn't break, so I pounded it again.

The noises from before began to grow louder and more coherent. I was right in thinking that they might have been words, because after my third fist fit, I had managed to crack the surface, only to be greeted by the loudest of "holy craps" that I had ever heard. Either that, or my ears were just ridiculously sensitive.

I was able to see some sort of light. It shined through the crack that I had created, and it was just enough to serve as my driving force, the force that was telling me that I needed to get the heck out of there.

I pushed and I shoved and I stretched and I thrashed. With each impact, I heard faint cracks form all around me. If only my shoulders hadn't been weighing me down so much, I would have been able to break free sooner.

"Ugh!" I grunted, finally bursting through the cage that I quickly realized mustn't had been a cage at all.

"Pffft," one of the voices snickered. It sounded masculine. "He's still the same, overdramatic freak that I remember."

"Shh!" another voice chimed in, shushing his rude commentary. This one sounded sweet, angelic even, as it said, "He's probably more tired than we could ever imagine. Especially now that he's forced himself through, when he's obviously still-ah! Don't move yet!"

I was kicking off the slime-like debris and goop that caked my legs and feet. It felt disgusting, nothing like the warmth that had embraced me just moments ago. Now, I felt wet and cold.

There was laughter. It was from the first voice. "Look at him squirm, oh my God! He looks like a newborn calf!"

"Jean, hush!" the second voice pleaded with him. "He _is_ a newborn, and he needs our help, so stop laughing at him!"

"Phew! Historia, I can't! He just so-! Oh, whoah. Hey, watch out there."

In the midst of my kicking, I had sliced my ankle against something sharp. The pain stung more than any paper cut had ever stung before, and I deeply regretted my decision of freedom. I wonder if I had tried hard enough, maybe this new life had gifted me time travel powers. No? Okay, then.

"Eren," they knew my name, apparently, "please stop moving. We'll get you cleaned up right away, but please just hold still for the time being."

"Yeah, listen to Historia, Eren. If you keep moving like that, you're just going to do more harm to yourself than good."

Why was it that the second my body had emerged from its encasing, I had closed my eyes? It hadn't even occurred to me that they were closed until I opened them, drinking in all of my surroundings.

The first thing that my vision had focused on was two pairs of feet, bare and shiny. The pair on the right was significantly larger than the pair on the left. I pinned the deeper voice to the feet on the right, and the softer voice to the left. Wait, what were their names again? They have been calling each other...

My head snapped up. Faces that I had seen before, faces that had been articulately ingrained into my memory, were staring down at me, both wearing very different expressions.

"Eren," I turned my attention to the left. "Eren, do you remember me?"

I couldn't speak, for whatever reason, so I nodded.

"Of course, he remembers. He's got that stupid look on his fa-"

"Jean, stop it!"

All of this back and forth was causing my head to spin. I lowered it to the ground, hoping for some sort of moment's reprieve. It wasn't until I had closed my eyes once again that I felt something tugging at my legs.

"Eren, it's me," I heard. "It's Historia Reiss. And you remember Jean, right? Jean Kirschtein from the 104th training squad? The Scouting Legion, rather. We were all in the Scouting Legion together."

I remembered. Like Jean said, of course I remembered. How could I ever forget? I would be forever plagued by nightmares from our expeditions, no matter which lifetime it was that I passed through.

"Eren, I'm going to heal your wound quickly, and after that, Jean will-"

"I won't," he interrupted. "Don't make me do it. It's _so_ gross. Just look at all of the mucus he's covered in!"

"You were covered in just as much, if not more, when you were reborn, too," Historia hissed.

I could hear Jean scoff at that. It gave me just enough satisfaction to choke out a strangled laugh.

"Oh, shut up, Eren," he fired back. "I'll bet you won't even be able to fly, with wings that freakishly large."

With...what? What did he just say?

Historia must have been ready to pull her beautifully blonde hair out with frustration. Between taking care of my ankle and toning down Jean's uncalled for comments, she was probably at her wit's end. "Look," she sighed, trying to be the voice of reason, "I really need your help, Jean. We weren't appointed caregiver archangels by just lazing around. We were appointed such, because we-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I heard Jean groan. "Because we've helped a lot of newborn angels, and we're pretty good at it, too. But why does it have to be him? Couldn't he have just been reincarnated? Reborn into a human family like always?"

"Please don't ask questions that you already know the answer to," Historia said softly, an obvious reaction to the way that I must have cringed beneath her touch. "There's a meaning behind everything, and if Eren's years of reincarnation have ceased, then there is a reason for it."

I tried to speak up at that, if I could even speak at all, that is, but Historia silenced me sweetly. "Eren, we can talk soon. Right now, let's just focus on getting you cleaned up." I didn't have to see her face to know that she was glaring pointedly at Jean.

Jean sighed like I did when my mom told me to take out the garbage on a rainy night, or any night, really. It sounded reluctant and unwillingly, and I could practically feel its effect, when he carelessly hauled me up and onto my feet. I wobbled, practically toppling over. I needed support.

"Whoah, whoah! Don't lean on me like that! I don't want your freaky egg mucus all over me!"

It seemed as if my arms were the only things that were under my control. I wasn't going to let an opportunity like that go to waste, so in a wild attempt of getting an old friend-or-foe upset, I gave Jean the biggest, sloppiest bear hug that I could manage. The high-pitched squeal of dissatisfaction totally made up for the fact that he had dropped me flat on my face.

It didn't come as a shock, when Historia shouted at him. "Jean, pick him up right now!"

"But he got his goo all over me!" That must have been the best excuse that he could come up with in a moment's notice.

"And you got _your_ 'goo' all over Marco, when you were reborn, too. You're no different, so man up and _help him_."

I wished that I had been fully capable of standing up on my own, but sadly, Jean's description of my physical state was pretty spot on. I felt like some sort of newborn farm animal: unstable and in need of assistance.

After Jean had swallowed his pride and pulled me up by the undersides of my arms, I decided I would play nice and allow him to clean me off without putting up a fuss.

He started with my arms, the very arms that I had used to slather my "goo" all over him. I'm not entirely sure what he did, but in swift motions, with his hands just barely cascading over my limbs, my skin was altogether rid of the sticky mucus that made my body feel incredibly disgusting. All that was left now were my...

"Turn around," Jean instructed, an order that I wasn't completely okay with following just yet.

"Do as Jean tells you, Eren," Historia coaxed. "He knows what he's doing. We've both done it many times before."

Done what, though? What have they done before, and many times yet, that they now had to do to me? I wanted to ask, but I still felt too weak to speak.

To feed my curiosity, Jean explained, "I've gotta clean off your wings, Eren." I'm pretty sure I heard him add, "No matter how lopsided and freakish they are," beneath his breath.

There it was again. That word. Wings. Just what the Hell were they talking about. I didn't have wings. I didn't have...

I felt Jean run his fingers down the center of my spine. He fit them deep within two large lumps of weight that must have added pounds upon pounds to my overall body composition. Whatever those lumps were, they must have been the reasoning behind my heavy shoulders.

"Ugh, this is so gross," Jean complained, pulling chunks of goop from my body and tossing the remains onto the ground next to my feet. I couldn't deny that I was still curious, so I took a peek. What I saw were splotches of translucent mucus and clumps of ivory feathers. I felt dizzy.

"Historia, help me keep him steady," Jean said. Historia couldn't have obliged any quicker. I so much as blinked and there she was.

"While I'm here, let me help you get that voice of yours back," she smiled. It was my natural reflex to withdraw from her hand as it extended toward me, but when she assured me that she meant no harm, I allowed her to touch her fingers to my throat.

She spoke a few words that sounded almost like a prayer, and when she was done, she asked me to say something, so I did.

"Something," I muttered.

"Haha, so funny," Jean grumbled sarcastically from behind.

"Oh, don't be so bitter," Historia chided. "I thought it was cute. It's nice to know that he still has his sense of humor."

"Yeah, his _lousy_ sense of humor."

I was done listening to them bicker. Now that my vocal chords had been blessed with the strength that they needed to produce words, I had a ton of questions that I wanted to be answered. The moment I opened my mouth to ask just one of them, Historia pressed her index finger to my lips.

"I know you have questions, Eren," she said, "but before you start rapidly asking them, I want you to know that I may not have all of the answers that you are looking for. Some of those answers, you're going to have to find out for yourself."

I could understand that much, so I nodded. She removed her finger, and judging by her patient demeanor, she was ready for me to begin. I started with the most important question I could think of. "Where am I?"

"You're in a place called Maria." She seemed happy that she knew the answer to that one. "It's not on Earth, nor is it in Heaven. Right now, you're in a sort of limbo, a place of rebirth."

"Maria?" I repeated. "Like the wall?"

Historia giggled at that. It was such a pretty sound that I wanted to say something else just to make her do it again. "Yes, but also no. The names are the same - those Wallists must have really been hung up over something celestial in the naming process of the walls were are familiar with - but where you are now is entirely different."

Her answer made enough sense that I felt knowledgable enough to move on to my second question. "Why am I here?"

I could see Historia's expression drop. "Unfortunately, I do not know the answer to that question. However, what I can tell you is that everyone who is reborn in Maria is reborn with a purpose."

"Isn't this the same thing as reincarnation?" My knowledge was quickly slipping, and I was starting to get confused.

"It's not the same at all, Eren." This time, it was Jean who spoke up. "That egg that you just came out of, and yeah, you came out of an egg, has been incubating this body of yours for quite some time. It's different from all of your other bodies, because it's not human. You're not human. Not anymore, and I beg to argue if you ever were one to begin with." Historia pointed a finger at him, but he continued regardlessly. "Look, I'm not here to give you a lecture on the what-whats and the when-whens, but you're not human, so this is entirely different from reincarnation. This is your last chapter. Call it a final stage, if you will, but the Eren Yeager you knew, the Eren who lived with his mother, had an absent father, and was struck by a car that had skidded on black ice on his way to school, was the last Eren of your reincarnation cycle."

Jean might have thought that he had helped curb my confusion, but all he had done was make it ten times worse. All I had to do was utter the word, "So..." and he was done.

"Okay, whatever. I'm not getting through to him," he spoke irritably. "Your turn, Historia."

I looked at her hopefully, and she looked at me with concern. "Eren," she began quietly, "what is it that you're not understanding?"

"Um," I pondered, "everything, actually."

It wasn't until a small gust of wind blew between the both of us that I had realized how cold it was, or rather, how cold _I_ was. Historia and Jean didn't seem to have any altercation with the weather. As the current passed through, it tousled Historia's hair majestically, causing it to shine in the light as if it were made of thin strands of pure gold.

Her hair hadn't been the only thing that moved with the wind. Her dress, made of ivory satin that hung loosely around her curves, flowed back and forth against her ankles, until the passing wind had subsided. I didn't have a dress like that, did I? I looked down. Nope. In fact, I was stark naked. Must have explained my feeling of frigidness.

"Allow me to try and rearrange what Jean just said in a way that is more, how should I say it..." she trailed off to wonder.

"Dumbed-down?" Jean must have been smirking. Historia wasn't the least bit amused.

"In a way that is more clear," she decided, "a way that is more understandable for you."

"Basically, just a dumber version of everything I said."

Historia glared at Jean from over my shoulder. I had to admit, it was kind of adorable watching her have to prop herself up onto the tips of her toes. "If this had been anyone else, you wouldn't be acting this way. Learn to bite your tongue, for once."

I had to give Historia credit where credit was deserved. She really knew how to put Jean in his place. Her only flaw, sadly, was in keeping him there.

"Eren," she caught my gaze, and I caught hers, "allow me to explain a few things, okay? But please, refrain from asking any questions until I'm done." I nodded in agreement, giving her my full attention. She began.

"There are three stages of the cycle of life: passing on, reincarnation, and the birth of an angel. Those who pass on either ascend to Heaven or descend to Hell. There isn't any room for second chances, in those instances." In just two, short sentences, my perception of Heaven and Hell had changed drastically. "Those who have dealt with reincarnation, like you have, are reborn many times, to many different families, with many different backgrounds. I know you must be wondering why your reincarnation cycle has ended, and although I cannot provide you with a proper answer for that, what I can tell you is that something must have occurred in the midst of your death, something very important, that has caused your soul to slip into this current body of yours, a body that has been kept incubated in an egg for quite some time.

We all came from eggs, just so you're aware of that. Jean, Marco, who's actually busy with Earthly works of guarding at the moment, and even me. Our souls all stopped the reincarnation process eventually, and here we are, all with our own, separate purposes. Marco's purpose is in guarding human children in Spain, while my purpose, along with Jean's, is to help newborn angels get on their feet and learn how to fly. It is also through these teaching methods that most angels realize what _their_ purpose is, why _they_ are no longer a part of the reincarnation cycle, and why _they _have been subjected to a life, an eternal one at that, of servitude."

I could feel it again. My head was spinning in all sorts of directions, and I just wanted to lay down. Unfortunately for me, it was tough to do so, while I was getting yanked to pieces from behind. I needed an answer. I needed just one answer from Historia that I desperately hoped, and very well knew, that she could provide.

"So, what you're saying is that...I'm an angel?"

Apparently, Jean had finally finished grooming me. For his own entertainment, he pinched me in an area on my lower back, causing my arms cast outward and flail about wildly. They weren't the only things that had cast outward, however. A shower of feathers rained down from above my head, forcing my entire mind and body into a state of wonder.

Even though I already had my desired answer, Historia obliged me with a nod. "Yes, Eren," she whispered. "You're an angel."

* * *

_Hi there! Chappy here! :D_

_I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! It turned out to be longer than I expected, but I'm so happy that it did. I really am aiming for the goal of having longer chapters, so writing something that was 3,500+ words was super exciting!_

_Anywho, thank you for taking the time to read! (:_

_- Chappy_


	3. Flight

I was dizzied with bewilderment and overwhelmed by fatigue. The heavy heaps that I felt on my shoulder blades, weighting them down in a way that had forced me to slump forward, had been wings. Angel wings. I was an angel.

"Eren," Historia spoke gently. Her voice had pulled me out of my stupor. I looked up, unsure of when I had lowered my head in the first place, and met her soft gaze. "You should get some rest. Although your mind may be registered for early morning, much like your time of death, the essence of time itself does not exist in this world. We sleep when weakened, and arise when replenished."

That made enough sense, but still, I had to ask, "Is there any special way that, you know..." Even though I hadn't stated the question yet, I could already sense Jean's judgement. It was practically radiating off of him. "Is there any special way that angels are supposed to sleep?"

"Hah!" I had called it. I had totally called it.

Historia had had it with him, and in a fit of huffy disapproval, she tugged at my arms and pulled me away from his hold. "You're done," she said, doing her best to sound stern. "I'm taking full custody of Eren."

Instead of looking disappointed, which, really, why would he have looked disappointed, Jean merely stuck up his nose and emitted a boastful aura. "Is that so? And just who is going to teach him how to fly? _You_? Don't make me laugh again. You know that I'm a better flyer than you are."

Since when had Jean and Historia become such rivals? All it had been was back and forth arguments, since the second I had been reborn. It was starting to make me agitated.

"For just one second," I breathed, my voice picking up in volume as my words progressed, "just a second, could the both of you shut up? Just, like, _shut up_? I mean, oh my God, all I did was ask a stupid question, and yeah, it was probably stupid, but now it's turned into a battle over what? Who gets custody of me? I'm not a child, and this is getting annoying." I turned to Jean. "You, stop being a jerk." I turned to Historia. "And you, although I appreciate what you're trying to do, I don't need you sticking up for me like some wimpy kid on the playground. Just answer my question so that I can go to sleep."

I knew that my outburst would stir up some emotions, but I hadn't expected the reactions that I received. Jean, probably for the only time in his life, was at a loss of words, and Historia, sucking on her lip and lowering her eyes, looked as if she were about to cry.

"I, uh..."

"No, you're right," Historia interjected. "You're absolutely right. Jean and I, we've been nothing but disconcerting this whole time."

"No, that's not it," I tried. I didn't want her to think that she'd been totally useless. After all, she and Jean had both given me a pretty good background of why I was where I was, and what I had to do to determine my future in this body.

Jean spoke up, this time. "Nah, Eren, you're right. We've been pretty crappy to you. Well, me, _I've_ been pretty crappy to you." He snickered, and I could only assume that he was reflecting on something of the past. "You know, you've changed. You're not like you were back then. You've still got that stupid-I mean, you still look the same, it's just, I guess now that we've lived through a myriad of different lives, things are...different."

Of course things were different. Humanity had regained its freedom. Walls no longer caged us like cattle. Wars amongst humans had resumed. Food, although an issue in some underdeveloped nations, was readily available with just a simple trip the supermarket. It was overwhelming, but it was perfect. However, it was the life that I no longer lived.

My decision was final, as I extended my hand out for Jean to take. "Let's call a truce." It was an offer that he could refuse, but somehow I knew that he wouldn't. "Let's keep the past in the past."

It was funny how, even after his lengthy speech about change and difference, he still hesitated to shake my hand. Fitting it into his own, he shook it, nodded, and said, "The past is the past."

I could hear Historia breathe a sigh of relief from behind. "Thank God." The air of her voice told me that she was smiling. "Now that all of this is settled, Eren, you had a question about sleeping?"

It was a shame. Now that I was about to get an answer, I wasn't feeling all that tired anymore. I nodded, thinking it best to repeat myself. "Yeah, I did," I said, turning on my heel to face her. "I wanted to know if it was the same as how humans sleep. I'm only used to that way, you know?"

Historia nodded, and Jean made a sound of agreement. "It's a bit different, I have to admit," she affirmed. "And it's pretty hard to put into words, so I should probably just show you."

I couldn't object to that. After all, I found that visual learning was a lot more effective, at least in my case, rather than oral or verbal.

Historia took one, two, three, small steps backward. Her demeanor was majestic, divine even, but I didn't expect any less from an archangel. It was a faulty on my part, but I hadn't even noticed Historia's wings until she had spread them. They were rounded, I saw, more so than I would have imagined. Their symmetrical nature gave them the appearance of two halves of a whole heart. It was befitting, definitely befitting for someone like Historia.

"First, you should open your wings up like this," she instructed, flapping her own gently to accentuate her point. "Then, you go like this." Her wings flared, sending out a cascade of feathers, before reaching forward. From what I could tell, they served as some sort of a makeshift shelter housing.

"Is that it?" I asked, wondering if such a thing could seriously be so simple.

"Yup!" she cheerfully responded. "It's the most comfortable way for us to sleep. Usually, from here on out, most angels either curl up into the fetal position, or sleep with their legs crossed."

"What would happen if an angel slept on their back?"

"One word," Jean spoke up. "_Ow_."

"What, really?" Hearing such a thing made me feel uneasy. "Why?"

"Serious wing irritation," he explained. "We've had newborn angels awake us in the middle of our resting period, screaming at the top of their lungs, because of cases of severe irritation. Trust me, just don't do it."

"I won't, I won't," I promised, "but that's really weird. Why does it happen?"

"Angel wings, especially for newborns, are terribly sensitive, Eren," Historia took over. "Now that your wings have been cleaned, you're feeling it, aren't you? The tender sting from having your feathers ruffled about so roughly?"

I hadn't realized it, but now that she had brought such a thing to my attention, she was right. My wings did feel kind of sore. I tried rolling my shoulders to ease the pain, but it didn't help much. If anything, it only made the discomfort of them all the more apparent.

"Luckily, wings don't have to be groomed very often," Historia added kindly. "Preferably, cleaning your feathers once a week is a good standard, but it's based entirely on how dirty they get." She chuckled a bit. "You know, when Jean was just a newborn, he needed to have his wings preened every single day."

"What?! That's not true!" Jean shouted in his defense.

"Come on, don't deny it," she giggled. "You weren't always the spectacular flyer that you make yourself out to be. Every day, it was up in the air and straight down to the ground with you."

Huffing, Jean crossed his arms over his chest and turned away. "Yeah, okay, whatever. Enough is enough, though. Eren, spread your wings and get some sleep. You're going to need it, if I'm going to be your flying instructor."

I didn't feel intimidated in the slightest, but maybe I should have. Who knows? Jean's teaching style could have been insane and I just didn't know it yet. Whatever the case, I was becoming rapidly reacquainted with my prior fatigue.

Just like it was hard to move an arm or a leg that had fallen asleep, I found it rather difficult to move my wings. I obviously knew that they were there, I just didn't know how to move them on command. Jean had pinched me, and that had caused them to open the first time, but they had long closed up since then.

"Uh..."

"Oh, Eren, um..." Historia smiled at me. She looked apologetic. "You're probably not used to the idea of having wings yet."

"Probably not, yeah," I agreed.

"I've got an analogy," Jean chuckled, jabbing me in my lower back. "You know those people who say that super long fingernails are like an extension of their fingers?" I nodded. "Well, think of your wings as an extension of your shoulders. Expand your mental image of your body and elongate your subconscious."

"Elongate my subconscious," I repeated, turning the idea over in my head. It may have sounded like an easy enough task, but it wasn't. My shoulders, no matter how much focus I placed into them, would not extend.

"Yeesh, if you can't even open your wings," Jean sighed, "you're going to have a field day trying to fly."

I scoffed, angered by the fact that he was attempting to undermine me. Who would have thought that the very anger that bubbled in my core would have proved to be just the push that I needed to spread my wings? I didn't, and neither did Historia or Jean. But there they were, opened wide and far too large for me to handle. I stumbled forward.

"Whoa, whoa, watch it there," Jean said cautiously. He stuck out his hands, and assuming that they were for me, I took them for support. "You got them open, and that's great, but you need to steady yourself. We'll practice all of this later. For now-"

"Sleep, I know," I interrupted with a yawn. "I can handle myself from here. Thank you for all of your help, but I'm good. You two, go off and do whatever it is that you do. I'm going to huddle up into my little wing-tent now."

Jean snorted, and Historia laughed lightly.

"Enjoy your rest, Eren," Historia smiled, placing her right hand onto my forearm gently.

"Yeah, rest up, trainee," Jean snickered. "God, I've waited forever to say that to someone like you."

"I'm _sure_ you have," I sighed, whilst rolling my eyes. I had been pulling on the edges of my wings as if they were stage curtains.

"We'll come back for you, once you've awoken," Historia informed. She stepped beside Jean, who, in turn, stepped next to her.

"Nighty nighty, Eren," Jean breathed in a taunt, and before I could even fabricate a witty comeback to utter in response, he and Historia had taken flight. For Jean's sake, I hated to admit it, but it was the single, most graceful sight I had ever seen. It even drove me far enough to think, _'Crap. I want to be able to fly like that.'_

I tucked myself into my feathers, relishing in the incubated warmth and comfort that they provided. Maybe living with these gigantic things wouldn't be so bad, especially if I got to sleep with this much security each and every time. I mean, sure, they were super heavy, and yeah, my shoulders were killing me, but they were cool enough to make up for it. And being able to _fly _with them, a dream that I've had ever since the very first time I had strapped myself up with Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear way back when, yeah, that was pretty cool, too.

* * *

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty. Time to train those titanic wings of yours."

I groaned and pulled my knees closer to my chest, as if such a motion would make Jean go away. It didn't.

"Wow, really? I thought the word 'titanic' would have sparked something in you," he laughed. "You know, like 'Titan'?"

"Haha," I laughed monotonously. "Very funny."

Jean was still laughing, as he pulled one of my wings back. It was just enough for him to get a better view of me from inside of them. "Seriously, though. Get up."

I snapped my wings shut on him, which only enticed him to laugh all the harder.

"Hey, good job!" Jean said with praise. "Look's like you're getting the hang of controlling your wings on your own. That's good. Really good, actually. We can totally skip that part of your training now, and move right to the important stuff, which, you know, is flying."

What Jean had thought would spark my interest hadn't, but the idea of flying had. Parting my wings just enough to peek through the small gap that they had created, I looked up at him curiously. He was staring back down at me with a playful smirk.

"And a good morning to you," he teased.

"I thought time didn't exist in this place," was my counter.

"You're right, it doesn't. I was trying to make you feel at home."

Still unwilling to stand, I asked, "How long have I been asleep for? Answer me in terms that I would understand, please."

"Terms that you would understand, huh?" Jean repeated thoughtfully. "I guess, you slept for the Earthly equivalent of three days."

"Three days?!" I gasped. Immediately, my wings had spread wide open and I was up on my feet. My balance, somehow, had improved considerably, but the lopsided nature of my wings had caused me to waver. Still, I was able to catch myself, before Jean had to.

"Great, you're up," he spoke, in a rather congratulatory manner. He gave me a firm pat on my shoulder. "Ready to get started?"

"Yeah, but wait a second," I said. "Where's Historia."

"Duty calls," he sighed, and shrugged his shoulders. "Another angel was born."

"Does that happen a lot? Like, angels being born and all that stuff?"

"Typically, no," he answered, "but I guess this is just one of those rare occurrences, you know? Usually, one angel is born for every Earthly week. This gives us enough time to dedicate ourselves to one angel alone, working with them until they're mature enough to carry out their purpose. Like you, most angels usually spend a few days sleeping after they're born, so that gives us about, hmm, three to four days of flight training?"

"Was the angel someone that you know?" I wondered. "That I know?"

"Nah, it was some woman who had lived in Argentina. She told Historia that her last life experience had ended due to a terminal illness. Lung cancer, I think she said it was."

"That's rough," I mumbled.

"Yeah, and so is getting hit by a car, man! Now come on. Buckle up and get ready. We're taking flight."

Before I could say anything else, Jean was already airborne. "Wh-whoa!" I shouted, watching him as he flew on ahead. "Hey, wait! Wait for me!"

"Not a chance, Eren!" he called from above. "First lesson, you've gotta try and catch me!"

Catch him? How was that even possible? He was all the way up in the air, and I obviously didn't know how to fly yet. Regardless of that factor, I had to think fast. Maybe I could start off on foot and go from there? Yeah, that sounded like a good enough plan.

It wasn't until I had started running after Jean that I realized I had been wearing clothes. Well, they weren't exactly like the clothes that I was used to. They were light in color and soft in texture. Not only that, but they were loosely fitted, which definitely gave me an upper hand in running speed. My quick pace was short lived, because, oh yeah, that's right, I still had two, ginormous wings on my back.

Jean came down from his heightened flight, when I face-planted into the ground. "What's the matter, Eren? Was that lesson too hard for you? Maybe we should start with the lessons that I teach to our angel toddlers."

I tried to talk, but my mouth was full of...salt? Actually, I wasn't sure what it was full of. Whatever it was, though, all I could say was that the ground wasn't made of dirt. It tasted salty. Gross.

"Okay, okay, maybe that was a little harsh," Jean sighed. "Here, let me help you-"

"I can get up on my own," I huffed, after I had spit. But could I actually and honestly do that? Get up on my own? No, I couldn't. Jean helped me.

"Alright," he said, stationing me back onto my feet. "I'm going to be honest with you. If you had been able to start flying and had been able to catch me with no instruction at all, we would have deemed you, like, some sort of flying prodigy."

"What the Hell!" I was visibly frustrated. Because of Jean, my pretty clothes had been ruined. Just because the ground didn't look like dirt, didn't taste like dirt, it still messed up clothing like dirt.

"I'm sorry!" Jean shot back in his defense. "It's something that I do to everyone! I'm not just singling you out because I feel like it. Although, I have to admit-"

"Don't."

"Right, okay."

He took a step back and flexed his shoulders. "First lesson, the _real_ first lesson, isn't actually a lesson at all."

"...What?" No, really, what?

"Calm down," he breathed, "it's nothing complicated. It's just a question."

"Oh, okay," I nodded. A question. That was simple enough. I could handle a question, right? "What's the question?"

"Have you ever seen a bird fly?"

My answer was almost immediate. "Well, yeah. Of course I have."

"Good," Jean said. "I would have been severely concerned, if you hadn't." I'm not sure why, but he began to pace. I guess he wanted to seem more serious, teacherly, or something along those lines. "Now, explain to me how a bird flies."

"Huh? Wait, I can't...I don't know the answer to that."

"Sure you do." He seemed almost positive in his response. "Now start explaining."

I bit my lip and racked my brain for an answer. How do birds fly? How _do_ birds fly? They fly on instinct, right? Doesn't the mother bird push them out of the nest, or something like that? Isn't it a sort of do-or-die kind of thing? Maybe my answer was right. I wasn't confident in it, but I said it anyway. "Isn't it because of instinct?"

"Partially. Explain your thought process to me." Geez, he was persistent. Almost like a real teacher.

"Well, alright," I began, relaying my thoughts to him. "Doesn't the mother bird force her baby birds to fly? She shoves them out of the nest, right? If they don't fly, they're useless, and if they do fly, they live?"

"Pretty good," he nodded, "but do you know the mechanics of flight."

"Yeah, no. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not a bird."

"Sure you do," he said once again. "You're close enough to one, right?"

"Right...?" Why was it that the more that I learned, the more confused I became?

He shook his head and expelled a breathy sigh. I could tell that he was getting frustrated. Whether it was at himself or at me, I didn't know. "Look, what I'm trying to say is that every angel is born knowing how to fly. It's kind of like how all babies know how to swim."

"Babies know how to swim?" This was news to me.

"We're moving on."

"Aye, aye."

Jean moved to stand behind me. "Open your wings," he instructed, and I complied. It felt good being in control of something that was now a part of me forever. Kind of like a piercing, or a tattoo. Actually, scratch that. This was nothing like a piercing or a tattoo. "Good. Flap them."

"Flap them?" I asked, hesitance lingering in my voice.

"Yes, flap them. You know, like a bird? A butterfly? Like any other creature that has wings?"

I guess it couldn't be too hard, right? I mean, I knew how to move my wings now, and I had seen Historia do it before, so naturally, I should have been able to flap them.

Concentrating all of my focus onto my wings, I inhaled a deep breath and lurched them forward. Suddenly, my body was propelled backward, directly into Jean's arms. Had he seriously been anticipating that this would happen?

"I knew something like this would happen," he chuckled. Well, there was my answer. "You're wings are _huge_, so of course they've got power to them. Not only that, but you started off completely wrong."

It was embarrassing. Having all of the knowledge of a teenager, but possessing the skill sets of an infant, it was really, truly embarrassing. "Can't you show me through a visual demonstration?" I groaned. "You know, like Historia did?"

"Actually," Jean said, "that is exactly what I was planning on doing next."

"So, what was the purpose of what I just did right now?" I asked.

"There wasn't one," he admitted. "I wanted to watch you mess up again."

"What ever happened to that truce we made?!" I shouted. "You know, the one where you said you would stop acting like a jerk to me?"

"That was regular Jean's truce," he grinned. "Right now, I'm teacher Jean."

"Ugh, whatever." I was so mad. "Be a teacher, then, and teach me how to fly!"

I didn't know why, but Jean's eyebrow arched as he gave me a once over. "Actually," he said, "it doesn't look like I have to."

"What do you mean?" I was so annoyed, and seriously growing tired of asking so many questions.

"Look at yourself," he stated, offering out his hand as a gesture. "You're already flying."

Somehow, through my fit of frustration, I hadn't even realized that my feet had left the ground. Neither that, nor the fact that my wings had started moving back and forth in a quick, rhythmic pattern all on their own. Why was it that the moment such a thing had been brought to my attention, my wings had snapped shut and I was on the ground again?

"See? I told you that you already knew how to do it," Jean said approvingly. "It's just gotta be a natural thing. You can't force it, it just happens. I mean, I guess I kind of pried it out of you, by getting your temper up. It's pretty cool, though, how anger makes you learn faster."

I tuned Jean out. I was far too fascinated by my own accomplishment to even process what he was saying. Oh my God, had I actually done it? Just a second ago, I was _really_ flying. No gears or wires were holding me up. It was all me. All of it. Just me.

"Um, Eren?" I guess I must have been spaced out for too long, because Jean had decided to wave a hand in front of my face.

"Let's fly," I said, speaking eagerly and quickly.

"Huh? What?"

"Jean, come on!" I coaxed, unable to cleanse myself of my giddiness and overjoyed feeling of satisfaction. "Let's fly!"

Before he knew it, and even before I knew it, I had grabbed his arm and had pulled him up into the air with me. He was capable of flying on his own, so he shrugged himself free from my grasp.

"You're really excited, aren't you?" he smirked.

"Hell yeah! This is so cool! I can't believe I'm doing this!"

His smirk became something more genuine, but even that was gone before I could comment on it. "Oh yeah? Well, you know what?"

"What?"

"You and me," he used his thumb to gesture at the both of us, "let's have a race."

Narrowing my eyes, I nodded. I was always up for a good competition. "You're on."

We had taken off without a moment's notice. There was no countdown, just flocks of feathers left in our tracks.

To avoid collision, I assumed, Jean flew from below, and it had become an unspoken agreement that I would fly from above. We hadn't set a goal, nor did I know where I was going, but the rush of warm air that blew across my face and tousled my feathers was so amazing that I didn't even care.

That ecstatic feeling was only until I had completely blacked out.

* * *

_"You're going to be okay! Damnit, Eren! You're going to make it out of this mess alive, do you hear me?!"_

* * *

Jean told me, after the fact, after I had come to, that it looked as if I had been knocked unconscious. He said I hadn't crashed into anything, because really, there wasn't anything around _to_ crash into. He asked me what had happened, what was wrong. My response must have made no sense.

"I need to find him."

"What?" he asked. His eyebrows were knit together with unmistakeable confusion. "What are you-?"

"I need to find him," I repeated. My tone sounded nearly robotic.

"Find who, Eren?" Jean persisted to ask. "Find _who_?"

I shook my head. I shook it again, and again, and again, until it started to hurt. "I-I don't know," I responded. "I don't know, I don't, I-"

"Eren, what are you _saying_? Look at me and answer me properly."

I looked at him, and I answered him properly. "I don't know who I'm looking for, Jean," I said, and that was the honest truth. I swallowed roughly. "But somehow, I know exactly where he is."

* * *

_Hello there! Chappy here! :D_

_Wow, this chapter was not only a behemoth to write, but a behemoth to proofread and edit, too. It's 4,300+ words. That is a huge accomplish for me, oh my gosh. I honestly don't know if all of the chapters to come will be of the same length, but wow, just wow._

_Anywho, thank you very much for taking the time to read! I hope you've enjoyed!_

_- Chappy_


	4. Him

Jean looked at me like I was crazy, which in reality, I kind of was. I mean, first things first, I'm up in the air, flying a heated race with him, then the next thing you know, I'm a heap-of-a-mess on the ground, knocked unconscious. Afterward, I start blubbering something about how I have to find someone, someone who surely I don't even know...right? Yeah, I'm definitely crazy.

"You said he," Jean pinpointed, repeating something that I myself hadn't even picked up on.

"...Did I?" I asked. I tried my best to remember, but I really couldn't recall any usage of a masculine pronoun. If I really had said it, that would mean that my subconscious was labeling this person as male. But why?

Jean nodded. He fit his hands into his hips thoughtfully. "You said, word for word, 'I need to find _him_,' and 'I don't know who I'm looking for, Jean, but somehow, I know exactly where _he_ is.' Do I have to repeat myself again?"

"No, no," I shook my head. "You don't, it's just, I'm really confused." Jean cocked his head at me, but remained silent. He was probably giving me the chance to organize my thoughts, before feeding me some of his own, which believe you me, I'm sure he had.

"If I could put what I'm feeling into words," I began slowly, pensively, "I would say that I feel drawn to something, well, someone, no actually, _him_. I feel like I need to be there with him right now. Like, this very second. I feel a bit stir crazy and anxious." I took the time to meet his gaze. His expression looked amused, but I didn't understand why. "Jean, what is this? You know what's wrong with me, don't you?"

He snorted, a noise that caused my lips to curve downward. "You know," he said, sounding very much like a know-it-all, "I have a bit of an inkling why you're feeling this way, but I want to check it over with Historia first. I'm like, ninety-eight point seven percent sure that this is the reason why, but that one point three percent could very well be a means for further investigation."

"...What?"

"Pay no mind to it. Let's go find Historia." He looked at me skeptically. "Are you well enough to fly on your own, or do I have to carry you?"

I scoffed at him. Who did he think he was? Offering to carry me like that, geez. I was perfectly capable of doing anything that he was, completely and totally on my own. He must have forgotten who ranked a single place mark higher than him all of those years, way back when. Here's a little hint: it was me.

"I can fly on my own, okay?" I knew I sounded irritated. Jean must have picked up on it.

"Alright, alright," he breathed, holding up his hands as if to surrender. "Remember, I'm not trying to baby you or anything, because God, that's the _last _thing I want to do. I know you're capable, and I'll give it to you that you're a pretty spiffy flyer, but dude, you just passed out. I know I'd be a little wary of flying around at any altitude, high or low, after that."

To prove a point, I spread my wings and purposefully hit him in the face with the tips of my feathers. "I'm _fine_," I groaned. No matter how often Jean told me that he wasn't trying to coddle me, I still felt like I was talking to my mom. Wow, my mom. I wondered how she was doing. After all, her only son just died, and the last thing she said to him was that she would give him money for a new alarm clock. Damn, the freaking alarm clock again.

Bending at the knee, I propelled myself into the air. Jean was quick to join, but I could tell that he was still keeping a watchful eye on me. When I glanced over at him, he looked away so fast that I could swear he was going to give himself whiplash.

"Jean, I'm fine," I said again. Given that my wings were undoubtedly lopsided, I found myself leaning to my left. I wanted to prove to him that I really was okay, so I balanced myself and leveled out my course of flight. "See?" From Jean's snobbish reply, I could tell that he was impressed. It was just enough to feed my ego.

"Yeah, yeah, okay," he sighed. "You're a good flyer. A lot better than I was, when I first started out."

"Yeah, I know," I snickered. "Historia already told me that, remember? She said you were awful."

"She didn't say that I was awful!" Jean shouted. "She only said that I fell down a lot."

"That's the same as being awful."

"Whatever," he grumbled. "I think I liked it better when you were unconscious."

His words had been like a trigger to me. Suddenly, my heart was racing and my fingertips felt numb. It was beyond my knowledge that I had also started flying at a faster pace, that was, until Jean yelled at me to slow down. My response was instant.

"I need to find him."

"Oh God, not this again. Eren, we're almost there." He wasn't able to catch up to me as quickly as I'm sure he would have liked to. That must have been a major blow to his pride. Suddenly, he grabbed my arm. "See, look? There's Historia. I see her." He called for her. "Hey, Historia!"

Jean's landing was graceful; mine, not so much. That blow to his pride? Yeah, it was more than likely patched up and cemented with just that one instance.

"Eren!" she called to me first. "Oh, mi Dios!"

"I...what?" I had been pulled away from my trance for just long enough to realize that her language sounded foreign to me. Spanish, maybe?

"Oh, lo sien-I mean," she corrected herself, "I'm sorry, Eren. I've been brushing up on my Spanish skills lately. I want to be able to speak fluently with Maria, when she wakes up. Isn't that funny? Her name is Maria and we're in a place called Maria, too! The moment she was born, she kept asking me where she was, so I would reply, and she would get horribly confused. She thought I was calling her name! It's a funny story, but it's not what's important right now. You're flying! And you looked so good up there, too! Congratulations, Eren!"

I rubbed the back of my neck. I was beginning to feel a bit bashful. "Uh, thanks," I replied slowly. "I'm glad that I learned how to fly so quickly. Well, _learned_ isn't the right word, right?"

Historia nodded understandingly. "That's right," she smiled. "Jean must have given you his good 'ole how-do-birds-fly routine. He does that trick with everyone, you know. Some people pick up on the instinctive nature of it, but some don't. I knew that you'd be able to get the hang of flying pretty easily. I know I've already said it, but I'll say it again. You really did look _so_ good up there. It's true. You were merely destined to become an angel."

"Historia, stop," Jean said, totally butting in on my pride ride. "You're spoiling him way too much." And he just felt the need to add, "Not only that, but he fell, you know."

Historia gasped, her eyes scanning my body for bruises or bumps. "Oh, my goodness, are you okay, Eren? You're not hurt, are you?"

Oh, boy. Here we go again. "No, I'm not hurt," I sighed dramatically. "I just blacked out for a bit, or whatever, and I fell. It's no biggie, _really_."

Instead of looking at me again, Historia slowly turned her gaze to Jean. "Did he just say that he...?"

"Yup," he nodded at her. "Tell her what else happened, Eren."

"Oh, I, uh..." I hated being put on the spot. I really, really hated it. It made me feel all nervous and disgusting.

"Come on, Eren," Jean said, prodding me with his finger. "Don't be shy." I felt like punching him.

Bringing one of my wings forward, I mindlessly began to play with a few of my feathers. They were so soft and comforting that they proved to be just the right push that I had needed to speak up properly. "I need to find someone," I finally said, certain of my statement.

"Find someone?" Historia tilted her head curiously. "Find who, Eren?"

"That's the problem," I answered. I began to feed my fingers through my feathers. I could just barely feel their hard quills. "I don't know _who_ it is that I'm looking for, but I do know that I'm looking for someone who is male."

"But, Eren," she spoke hesitantly, "that could be anybody, right? Anybody who's a boy?"

I began to pace. I felt like a teacher. No, I felt like Jean. Teacher Jean. Darnit. "No, that's not it," I corrected her. "The person I'm looking for, I know exactly where he is. I can feel it and it hurts. I was telling Jean just before we met up with you that I _need_ to be with him. I need to make sure he's alright, that he's eating properly, that he's getting enough sleep, that he's-"

"Eren." If Jean would have been the one to interrupt me, I would have been ticked, but seeing as it was Historia, and seeing as her voice was so, ridiculously soothing, I didn't feel the least bit of anger towards her. "I think I've heard enough."

"Oh, I..." I was starting to feel embarrassed all over again. "Was I rambling too much? I didn't mean it, I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize, Eren," she smiled reassuringly, "but there is one more thing that I _do_ need from you."

My interest had been piqued. What could Historia have possibly needed from me? From _me_? Couldn't she have asked Jean for it? Wait, I didn't even know what "it" was yet. "What is it?" I asked.

"I need your word," Historia responded firmly. "I need your absolute word, Eren. Basically, I need you to promise me something. I need you to promise me that regardless of the circumstances, you will do anything and everything in your power to protect this person that you so desperately need to find. That's all I need."

Again, I felt as if fuel had just been added to my inner flame. Something about her word choice, something about her posture, and something about the way each and everyone one of her words rolled off of her tongue made me stand a little bit taller, think a little bit wiser, and raise my wings just a little bit higher. I was mesmerized by my own sturdiness.

"I will do everything in my power, no, everything in and_ beyond_ my power to serve, provide for, and protect him. I need to find him. I need to make sure that he's alright. I need to be with him. I need to _guard_ him."

And there it was. Suddenly, it was if everything made sense in the world. I knew what I had to do. Even before Historia gave me a nod, even before Jean patted my shoulder, I knew what my purpose was. I was finally able to understand what they had meant by the fact that it was something you had to figure out for yourself, something that you had to figure out all on your own. No one could have told me to feel what I was feeling. The sensations were all too real. The desire, the need, the want, they were all so vivid, and they were all mine.

"Eren," Historia murmured gently, "do you know what this means?"

I nodded. I knew exactly what it meant. For good measure, I presumed, she said it anyway.

"Congratulations, Eren," she giggled. "You are now officially a guardian angel."

* * *

Before my departure, because apparently that's what you do when you figure out your purpose, you depart, Historia and Jean took extra time in preening my wings. If I was going to meet the human whom I was destined to protect for the rest of their life, I had to look nice, right? Jean on my left wing, Historia on my right, I felt as if I were some sort of royal figure and that they were my servants. I didn't say such a thing aloud, though. That would have been really rude.

"Say, uh, guys?" I began to ask. My question broke the comfortable silence.

Historia was the first to oblige me. "Yes, Eren?"

Jean was next. "Yeah?"

"I've been wondering," I said, trying my best not to fidget, "since I'm going to be a guardian angel now, does this mean that the person I'm in charge of guarding, are they in some sort of danger?"

"Not necessarily," Historia answered. "It's all about destiny, you know? You were reborn with the duty of guarding this person, whether they need you to or not. It's a bit pessimistic to think of it that way, though. I like to see it as, no matter where you come from or what you do, everyone can use their own, personal guardian angel."

Historia was right. Everyone could use a guardian angel. Heck, I probably could have used one, too, on the day of my death. But wait...

"Jean, Historia, can humans _see_ their guardian angels? How about touch? Am I going to be nothing more than a ghost to this person?"

"Eren, you're not a ghost," Jean spoke sternly. "That's a whole different notion that we're not going to get into right now."

Historia nodded in agreement. "Jean's right, Eren. It's pretty taboo for us angels to speak of ghosts, but to answer your questions, it's a bit complex."

I grew concerned. "How so?" I wondered.

"Well," Historia was speaking, "it goes something like this. If you have ever, in any of your lifetimes, crossed paths with and interacted with the person that you're destined to protect, they will be able to see, as well as touch and communicate with you. It's pretty amazing, isn't it? It's like the whole 'I was touched by an angel' sort of thing. Not only that alone, Eren, but if you meet up with anyone that you have ever had interactions with, they will be able to see and talk to you, too. The only difference is that they will not be able to touch you. That's a right reserved for only your guarded human."

Surprisingly, her response made complete and utter sense to me. Still, it left me wanting to know more.

I asked, "Historia, how often is it that a guardian angel is destined to protect someone that they've known in a prior lifetime?"

I didn't have to see her face to know that she was looking at Jean, and that Jean was looking at her. I was pretty sure from that alone that I had my answer.

"The odds are..." she began slowly, but it was Jean who finished for her.

"Don't bet on it, Eren," he sighed. He was one who most definitely did _not _sugarcoat the truth. "We've conversed with only two guardian angels who have been destined to guard someone that they've known through a previous lifetime. That's how we got our information on the whole touching and seeing thing. Even though it's fairly possible that you can be assigned to guarding more than one human, like Marco with his children, the chances of being destined to someone that you know are ridiculously slim, basically non-existent."

Why did I feel so disappointed by that? I mean, it would have been really cool to be the guardian angel for someone that I knew, like maybe my mom or something, but the absolute grief that I felt was almost overwhelming. Not only that, but I knew that my destined human was male. My dad, maybe? Yeah, hopefully not.

Suddenly, Historia had left my wing and was in front of me. She was handing me something soft. "Here," she smiled. "For your tears."

My tears? I touched my cheek. Well, crap. I was crying.

"Oh, thanks..." I said, carefully taking the, what I assumed to be, handkerchief from her. I dabbed my eyes and wiped my nose.

"It's a lot to take in, so it's okay to cry." Why was it that her words were so comforting to me?

"Yeah, but don't make a habit of it, Eren," Jean snickered, giving my wings a final once over. "It's unsightly for an angel to cry. We've gotta be the strong ones. We're the comforters, not the comfortees."

"Is that even a word?" I chuckled.

"Shut up. I was trying to make a point."

I held up one of my index fingers, indicating the point. Through a gesture with my opposing index, I made a motion of saying that he was off the point. It ticked him off and I loved it.

"_Boys_," Historia chided in a stern, motherly tone. We were forced to make a truce. Again.

Well, that was it. I had my goal, I knew where I was going, and most of all, I felt _good_. Maybe it was because I cried for a bit. Mom always said that it was good to cry every once in a while.

My wings felt good, too. Actually, they felt _really_ good. Unlike before, when they were still fresh and new, they didn't hurt anymore. They felt strong, steady, like I was in control. It made me want to fly right that second.

I was so excited that I began flapping my wings in an attempt to calm myself down.

"Whoa, Eren!" Jean laughed. "Feather alert, feather alert!"

I started laughing, too. "Sorry, sorry! I'm too excited, I can't help it!"

Clapping her hands together, Historia cooed happily at me. "I'm so glad to hear that, Eren!" she praised. "And I'm sure your human will be very excited to meet you, too, whoever _he_ is."

Waving her arm, she drew my attention toward a double-door structure that, I'm sure, was not there before. It was tall, but it was slim. It was a big enough size for one person and one person alone. She ushered me toward it. "These doors," she explained, "serve as the gate between Maria and Earth. They only open for those who are truly ready to return to the world of humans. So, Eren Yeager, I must formally ask you, are you ready to return to the human world, to seek out your destined human, and to protect, serve, and guard them for as long as they may live?"

I nodded firmly, and before I could even get the words out, the doors had burst open with a force so strong, I had nearly been sucked right through them.

"Damn!" Jean stated appreciatively. "I've never seen them open like that before! You're just full of surprises, aren't you, Eren?"

I was still a bit baffled myself, but I managed a nod of acknowledgment. "Yeah, I...I guess so."

"Well, Eren," Historia breathed, "I guess this is goodbye. No, that's wrong. We'll see each other again. So, until then..."

"Go an' get 'im, Eren!" Jean said supportively. He gave me a slap over my shoulder.

Historia giggled sweetly. Lurching forward, she embraced me warmly. I could tell that she wasn't the least bit fearful of the idea that she may or may not have been pushing any boundaries.

"You'll be fine, Eren," she whispered, "I know it. Best of luck to you."

"Thanks," I smiled. "Really, thank you. Both of you."

With a final statement such as that, I was off. I jumped through the doors and I spread my wings wide. The air beneath my feathers served as my cushion, holding me up, balancing out my flight, and propelling me forward. Curiosity tempted me to look back, but my better judgement caused me to refrain from doing so. I had a goal, a mission, and I was determined to complete it.

It was a bit strange. Somehow, I felt that the gateway between Maria and Earth would have been at a higher altitude, somewhere where I would have had to fly downward in a neat and orderly fashion. That would have been super cool, but it wasn't the case. No, the altitude that I flew at was low, just above the pointed rooftops of a suburban town.

It was nighttime, and boy, did it feel good to have a distinction over time again. My guess was that it was somewhere around five or six in the evening. Given that it was standard time, and the fact that the sun tended to have a funny little habit of setting so early, a better guess would be toward the latter.

Turning my angle, I started flying just a bit lower. I was curious, of course, so began peering into all of the windows of the houses that I passed by. In some windows I saw empty nurseries. In others, I saw gathered families, but one window in particular caused me halt altogether.

I slowed my pace, steadying my wings into a regular rhythm that kept me afloat. I took a closer look, rubbing away the foggy condensation that my breath had caused. I gasped.

The room I was peeking into, it was, yet again, another nursery. However, this nursery was different. Not only was there a small, finicky little baby laying within a wooden crib, but situated above the child, staring down at him or her with an expression of absolute peace, was an angel. A _real_ angel. An angel just like me.

I don't know why I did it, but I knocked on the window. It was apparent from the way the other angel had jolted slightly that I had startled her. She looked up, quickly meeting my gaze. Slowly, all fright had washed away from her face and she smiled at me, even going as far as giving a gentle wave, a wave that I returned nervously.

She brought her forefinger to her lips, gesturing for me to be quiet, before pointing down at the baby below. I chuckled. As if the baby could actually hear me. Yeah, right.

With another wave, this one a wave of farewell, I flew from the window and continued on the route toward my destination.

It was weird. I couldn't tell if I was close or not, but all I knew was that I was heading in the right direction. I could only imagine that the second I came in close quarters with my destined human, I would be overcome with an overwhelming desire to connect with them, right? Yeah, I could only imagine.

I flew for what felt like days, but in reality, it had only been hours. My wings hadn't been trained enough, and my lack of stamina was a clear indicator of that. I had already stopped for a breather at least five times, and was about to perch myself on the top of a small tree for my sixth when I had felt it. It was a distinct, nauseating sort of feeling that made my stomach churn and my wings spasm. All of a sudden, I was full of energy and coasting through the air.

Like before, I still didn't know where I was going. Well, I knew where I was going, but I didn't. I knew where my wings were taking me, obviously they were taking me to my human, but I couldn't make out a single landmark that I breezed by.

Faster and faster, my wings began to flap harder and harder. It was funny. For a brief moment, I almost wanted to shout, "Slow down!" but who would I have been shouting at? Myself? _I_ was the one who was flying like a maniac.

My eyes scanned high and low, left to right, up and down. I probably should have realized it sooner, but it seemed as if I was flying around some sort of college campus. There were people below, but not many. I guessed that most of the students that attended said school must have had classes scheduled during the day. But not my human. No, he was there, somewhere on the premises. I could sense him.

I continued to glide around the campus, flying past dormitories and peeking into classrooms. My search was heated, but it ended up with me being empty-handed. Whoever my destined human was, he must have been on the move. I carried on.

Even though I was already flying faster than my oversized wings could handle, I pushed myself to pick up my pace even more. I felt uneasy and sick. How come Jean or Historia didn't tell me anything about this? Maybe they didn't want to freak me out, or maybe I truly was like Jean had said: I was just full of surprises.

Ultimately, my wings ended up guiding me out of the campus and toward a nearby shopping plaza. I found it peculiar how much control I had lost over them in such a short span of time, but I didn't mind it. As long as they brought me to him, I would be...

"Hey, Levi! Wanna catch a movie tonight?"

In a mess of catastrophe, my wings collapsed inward and I spiraled spectacularly to the ground. I must have fallen from a height of a good twenty to thirty feet. My head ached, oh, did it ache. I wanted to sleep. I was so incredibly tired, but I couldn't sleep just yet.

I struggled to raise my head. I needed to see him. I needed to see...

"Oh, my God! What the Hell is that thing?!"

My head dropped to the pavement. I fell unconscious.

* * *

_Hello there! Chappy here! :D_

_Finally, finally, finally! Eren's long awaited ( I say long awaited, but it's only been four chapters ) reunion with Levi! I sure hope it didn't disappoint!_

_I'm super impressed with myself for being able to match last week's chapter in having another chapter of 4,300+ words in length. Who knows if I'll be able to keep this up. We'll see, we'll see._

_Anywho, thank you very much for taking the time to read!_

_- Chappy_


	5. French Fries

I felt his arms wrap around me, pulling me flush up against his hunched over form. His bony fingers felt cold against my skin. At the time, I liked how it felt. It was comforting, soothing. Now, it was harsh reminder of what could have been and what used to be.

I felt his fingers brush against mine, desperate to grab a hold, desperate to keep me alive. It was just like old times, when we were both so full of life and so full of each other. It was like the first time he held my hand, when he told me to never tell a soul. I had kept that promise. I still keep it. I didn't tell anyone, but that didn't stop them from finding out about us on their own.

The first time we had kissed, I had been, in all of my erratic eagerness, the one to initiate it, but _he_ was the one who kept it going for much longer than I had anticipated. He fed fire to our lips, saturating them in lighter fluid. My only intention had been for maybe a gentle peck or two, but it was certain that he had had an entirely different motive.

In a mess of milestones, the first time we had kissed melted into the first time we had explored one another's interests, followed by the first time we had seen one another completely in the nude, concluding with the first time we had made love. We were young by worldly standards, and for the love of God, we were only human. Human in a world full of disaster. Human in a world among beasts.

That night had been the best night of my entire life. For the rest of the evening, up until the light of dawn had filtered through the window as a warning of morning, we had held one another, simply enjoying each other's company. He held my hand and I held his. It was beautiful.

I can still remember asking him if we were in love. He had scoffed and told me that after all we had been through together, all we had done to one another, we sure as Hell better be. I kissed him after that, and then the rest is a blur.

A blur like my vision, a mask of murky sight. His arms grew tighter around my shoulders, but his hold never once felt suffocating. My lack of breath had been a symptom of my own, pending decease. It was hot, hot like the summers where we rolled around in the dried up grass and pretended like we were the only ones that ever mattered in the world. I loved those summers. It was horribly selfish of me, but I wanted them back. More than anything, I just wanted them back...

_"You're going to be okay!"_

No, I wasn't. I wasn't, and you knew it. That's the only reason why you ever said it. You knew I wasn't going to make it, but you wanted to believe that I was. That I would have lived through it, that I would have made it out of that swarm of Titans alive, just like I'm sure you did.

_"Damnit, Eren!"_

That's my name, but it didn't suit you to yell it that way. I much rather preferred it when you were whispering it sweetly in my ear, when you were moaning it ravenously against the back of my neck, when you were sighing it unconsciously in your sleep.

_"You're going to make it out of this mess alive!"_

The last thing I had wanted to happen was for you to feed me follies on my deathbed. Well, "death lap" should have been more like it. I wanted you to be honest with me, tell me brutally that hey, I was about to die. That was it, and that was the end. But you didn't it want it to be. You had wanted me to listen to every last thing that you had to say. And so I did. I listened.

"Do you hear me?"

Yes, I hear...wait. Yes, yes I do hear you. I hear you right now. I hear you as if you're right there, as if you're right here with me.

"Do you think he's dead?!"

Wait, what? Who is that? What are you talking about? That's not your voice.

"He's not dead. Look at him. He's moving."

I'm not dead? But I am, aren't I? The Titans got me and this is just...what is this? My head hurts. My shoulders hurt. Everything hurts.

"Should we try moving him?!"

"Don't be stupid. If we move him, we might end up hurting him more."

It was as if I was rousing from some sort of long and heavy dream. I could feel the consciousness as it pooled in my brain and spread throughout my veins. "Ugh..." I groaned, because really, that was all I could manage to do for the time being.

"Hey, can you hear me?"

Yes, I thought it was long ago established that I could hear you just fine. Oh, wait. I had to use a little thing called words to express that. I tried my hand at them. "Mmn..." And I failed miserably.

"Should we call 911?!"

"Didn't I tell you not to be stupid? We can't call an ambulance for someone like him. He's..."

Not human. I'm not human. That's what you wanted to say, right? That I was some, real life freak of nature. That couldn't have been farther from the truly, because in actuality, I was an...

"Holy crap! Wait a second, wait a second!" Yelling. What was with the yelling? Why did there have to be so much yelling?

"Hange, cut it out."

"But, Levi, look! He has wings! Like, real, legit wings! Holy crap, do you think he's a fallen angel?! A real, legit fallen angel?!"

"_Hange_."

Hold up. Did he just say...?

"Levi, I can't believe this! We need to take pictures! Quick, give me your cell phone-!"

In a flock of feathers, I was up and on my feet, not only startling myself, but startling the two individuals who had been leaning over me, checking to see if I was alright, or maybe, checking to see _what_ I was. I was dizzy, but I pushed through it. That name. I needed to hear it again.

With an unsure step, I nearly stumbled forward. Luckily, my wings flared outward, balancing my footing and saving me from my fall. Like I needed another one of those.

"Uh...?"

My head shot upward. My eyes must have been wider than ever before, because surely, I had never felt the strain of my very own eyelids, prior to this moment. My hands felt sweaty and my knees felt weak. I could feel the threat of another stumble of some sort coming on, but my wings were right there, spread out and spread large, protecting me from such a tragedy. I needed to hear his name again. I needed to hear his voice.

"You, i-it, i-it's you. You're, y-you're, i-it's..." Was I nervous? Was I excited? Why couldn't I tell?

"Hmm? What is it? You're interested in him?" It was the other person who was talking, and he was talking to me. I didn't know what to say anymore, so I nodded and kept quiet. I just wanted to hear his name. "You're interested in Levi?"

And graciously, there it was. That was it. That was his name. Levi. Lance Corporal Levi. Humanity's strongest soldier. Humanity's guide to freedom. My past life hero. My past life lover.

This had been one of those scenarios that, if I had been a dog, my tail would had started wagging uncontrollably. However, I wasn't a dog. I was an angel, so my wings served to suffice. They began to flap wildly, vivaciously, sending feathers flying all about in undisclosed directions.

"Levi..." I started, while the corners of my lips began to lift slowly. "Levi...Levi, it's you! Oh my God, it's you! Corporal, sir! It really is you, isn't it? Isn't it?"

It had to have been him. Shave off a few years on his age, and he looked exactly the same as I remembered. His greyish eyes were still beady, his gaze still narrow. His hair was still as black burnt charcoal, and it was still parted and trimmed in the very same way. Who would've thunk that such a style would still be considered "within the trend" all of these years later? It wasn't the 800s anymore.

He was cocking an eyebrow at me, but that had been no hindrance of my further examination of him. His height, man, he hadn't grown a single centimeter. Without standing on the tips of his toes, I still had a good four or five inches on him. His clothes, albeit modern, still represented the distinctive definition of his former self. He was wearing a dark green hoodie, matched with denim skinny jeans and low-cut combat boots. Not exactly fashionable, but perfect for someone like him. And in his hands was...a paper bag of some sort? Food, maybe? All of these trivial things were the least of my concern. All I cared about was him, for far more reasons than one alone.

"Uh, yeah?" he said, but he didn't sound certain of himself. "That is my name, but how do you know it?"

Wait. Wait, wait, wait. "How do I know it?" Wait, hold on. "What do you mean?" Please, wait. "Of course I know your name! Levi, it's me! Eren! Eren Yeager!"

I watched, as a look of utter confusion overcame his facial features, I watched him back away from me. I watched him take that first step, and then another, followed by a third and that was it. I didn't need any more explanation than that. It was obvious, as well as it was clear.

Levi did not have any recollection of his past. He had no idea who I was.

I calmed my wings immediately, doing my best to keep a friendly face as I smiled at him and bowed my head. My heart was weighting my chest down like a boulder, but I had to grin and bear it, if only just for now. "Sorry for that," I apologized, even though I was hardly sorry at all, "I'm probably scaring you."

"You're not really scaring me," he sighed, "you're just-"

"Whoa! Holy crap, I can't believe this! Are you moving those wings all on your own?! Do you have full control over them?!"

"Hange," Levi groaned, but I was already turning around to face the other man. In my over-excited frenzy, I must have neglected the fact that he had moved to stand behind me. He must have been inspecting my wings, otherwise he wouldn't have brought up such a topic.

"Well, yes, they are, and yes, I do," I answered. I tried to sound as polite as possible. I didn't want to mess with the whole, perfect ideal that humans had set forth for angels. For good measure, I began fluttering my wings for him.

He squealed in delight. "This is incredible! Oh my God, this is so cool! Levi, are you even seeing this?!"

No, he probably wasn't. He was too busy balancing a bag of something or other in one hand, while pressing the index and middle fingers of his other to the center of his furrowed brow. This Hange person was getting on his nerves, I could tell that much. I could tell...wait, Hange? Why did that name sound so familiar?

Whatever the case, Hange was running around me again, trying to get a better glance of my back. He'd probably have a field day with what I was about to say, too.

I spun on my heel, and was instantly presented with Hange's pouting lips and Levi's disinterested expression. I inhaled deeply. If only Jean and Historia were with me right now. I felt more confident with them around.

"Look, I know this is really confusing," I said, all but willing my voice to remain steady, "but before we get of topic, there's something very important that I need to say."

Luckily, Levi appeared as if he had obtained a glimmer of intrigue. "I'm all for hearing it," he replied. "What about you, Hange?"

"Oh, yes!" Hange spoke excitedly. "Please! Please do say something important!"

Again, I inhaled deeply. _'Oh, boy,' _I thought._ 'Here I go.'_

"I think it's pretty obvious, but it wouldn't hurt to confirm it," I smiled shyly. "Well, I'm an angel."

"I knew it!" Hange cheered. "I knew it, didn't I?! Didn't I?!"

"Hange, let him finish," Levi scolded.

"Oops, sorry!" he giggled. "I'm sorry, Mr. Angel, sir. Please continue!"

Whilst retaining my smile, I nodded. "Thanks, but you don't have to call me that. Actually, I'd prefer it if you didn't. My name is Eren, so please feel free to call me that. No 'Mr. Angel Eren sir' or anything like that. It's not necessary. Anyways, I, erm...Levi?"

Thankfully, he looked at me. "Um, yes?"

"You see, I'm not just an ordinary angel," I said, and with a burst of that confidence I had been looking for before, my wings opened wide and displayed their enormous, uneven size for both Levi and Hange to see. "I'm a guardian angel. I'm _your_ guardian angel."

* * *

On the walk back to wherever, many questions were asked, questions that I provided as best of an answer as I could muster. It was funny to me how some of the questions they had asked were the very same questions I had asked both Jean and Historia.

"Can other people see you?" Levi asked first. A gust of November wind caused him to swear and zip up his hoodie.

My wings had been feeling restless, so instead of walking along side them, I opted for a low, gliding pace from above. "Not everyone," I responded, deciding to keep the answer to that question in particular relatively cryptic. "Only a select, few people can."

"Huh," Levi acknowledged. "Cool, I guess."

"Cool?! _Cool_?! That's all you have to say to that?!" Hange belted out. "It's freaking awesome! We're like, super special humans, or something!"

"I highly doubt that's what he meant by that," Levi sighed.

As they continued to bicker, I focused on a different sound: the sound of Levi's combat boots. I listened to the way they dug into the loose gravel and slid against the pavement with every step. It was nostalgic in so many ways that it had nearly thrown me into a dazed daydream. I couldn't let myself get into one of those right now, though. Not when questions were being thrown my way, and most definitely not when I was in mid-air.

"So, Eren," Hange said, speaking in a much reformed tone, "do you have a certain purpose for coming here? To Earth, that is? Like, is Levi about to experience some sort of disastrous doom, or something?"

I had to chuckle at that all-too-familiar question. "Nothing that I'm aware of," I answered, smiling down at him. He didn't see it. He was too busy sneaking a French fry out of the paper bag that he was holding to take notice. It felt good to know that my guess had been right about the bag, though. "All I know is that, back where I came from, just earlier today, I felt a sudden urge, a strong impulse if you will, to be here, right here, with him. With Levi."

Levi almost choked on his French fry, while Hange started to coo. "That's _so_ cute! It's just so cute that I could die! Levi, isn't it cute?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full," was Levi's response.

"But my mouth isn't fu-mnph?!" While Hange was talking, Levi had reached into the paper bag. He had balled up a fist full of French fries and shoved them directly into Hange's mouth. He was silent for a good five seconds or so, however long it took for him to chew and swallow.

"You know," he said, wiping the salt at the corner of his mouth, "Erwin's going to be pissed at you for wasting his fries."

Wait, Erwin?_ The_ Erwin? As in, the 13th Commander of the Scouting Legion, Erwin Smith, Erwin?

Fitting the paper bag into a nook between his elbow and his waist, Levi rubbed his hands together. Were they cold? I didn't like that. "Whatever," he said. "I think he'll be more intrigued by the story we have for him, rather than some stupid French fries."

Hange had begun saying something about how Erwin had specific conditions, maybe something about a French fry fix or whatever, but I was too set on Levi's hands to pay any sort of attention. I interrupted him in mid-sentence.

"Levi, are your hands cold?" I asked.

He looked up at me with noticeable hesitance. "Uh, well, yeah. Kinda, I guess. Why?"

Without a verbal answer, I lowered myself to the ground and trotted to step in front of him. This motion made him stop walking altogether. It was the same for Hange. I didn't need words for what I did next. Grabbing the both of his hands gently, carefully, making sure that the bag of food was still secure, I brought them slowly to my lips and blew into his palms. It was by instinct that I knew this action would cause them to warm up, and just like I had imagined, his knuckles began to flush with color.

Levi slipped his hands out of mine. He was staring up at me with subtle wonder. I didn't blame him, though. He had just been touched by an angel. "How did you...?"

I smiled at him, reaching from below his arm to set the paper bag back into his hands. "It's an angel thing. Pretty neat, huh?"

"I'll say!" Hange beamed. "That was so freaking cool! Ugh! Eren, do it to me, too! Do it do me!"

My eyebrows creased with sympathy, while I turned my gaze toward him and said, "I'm sorry, Hange. Actually, if I were to touch you right now, you wouldn't even be able to feel it. Such a thing is a perk that's reserved for my guarded human only."

"Damnit!" he cursed. "Gosh darnit, Levi. You're so freakin' lucky!"

"Yeah..." Levi said, his voice trailing off in a way that indicated he felt otherwise. "Lucky me."

* * *

When we had finally made our way back to wherever, which was actually not too far from the college campus I had coasted around just a little while ago, it turned out that wherever was actually an apartment complex situated just outside of the college grounds. Based on their age, as well as the location of their housing, from these two, distinctive factors, I was able to hypothesize that Levi, Hange, as well as Erwin were all college students. Maybe I was right. Maybe I was wrong. I didn't know yet.

"Here's your food," Levi said, throwing the bag at someone immediately upon his entry. He had stepped through the threshold of the apartment before Hange and me, who was busily trying to touch my wings to no avail.

"What took you so long?" I heard a voice say. It didn't sound particularly concerned, nor did it sound particularly angry. It sounded like the voice of someone who wanted his French fries.

"There was an incident."

The rustling of the food bag stopped abruptly, and the voice spoke up again. "An incident? What happened? Where's Hange?"

"Here I am!" Hange giggled. He closed the door and rushed into the apartment, motioning with the back of his hand for me to come with him. I complied without resistance. "And you'll never believe what happened!"

"Oh, yeah? Does it have something to do with why half of my fries are gone?"

"Kinda!" Hange chirped. "Levi got an angel!"

"Levi got a...what? Did he buy it, or something? Is it a topper for a Christmas tree?"

"No, no, no! Levi got a _real_, legit angel!" Hange was the only one who was visibly excited, flailing his arms about as if they were swimming pool noodles.

"Hange, stop saying legit. It sounds hideous," Levi sighed.

"Eren, get over here!" Hange continued to speak. "Get over here so that Erwin can see you!"

Again, I complied, but this time with mild restraint. Would he even be able to see me? Still, holding on to the tip of one of my wings, I rounded the corner of the entryway and made my presence known. Like Levi, Erwin had nearly choked on one of his French fries.

"Not real!" he exclaimed. "There's no way in Hell that thing can be real!"

"Actually, you should say Heaven, Erwin," Hange falsely corrected.

"No, actually," I spoke up nervously, "I came from a place called Maria. It's neither Heaven nor Hell."

The room fell silent, and I was terribly tempted to recede into my wings. No, really, such a thing didn't sound half bad. I was pretty tired, to be honest.

I shifted my footing, holding my wing all the tighter. That stupid spotlight had been turned on me again and I absolutely hated it. This time, however, it was my own fault. I had practically paid for the fixture, screwed in the bulb, and flipped the darn thing on. Yeah, way to go.

I looked up, meeting the gaze of the former Commander himself. It was him. It was definitely, one-hundred percent him. Just like Levi, he boasted the same hairstyle, the same fashion sense, and even a cheap leather necklace that resembled the same tie from his former leadership. The only difference that I could make out from his commanding days was that, presently, he had a bag of fried food in his hands. He was the first to ease the quiet.

"What did Hange say your name was again?" he asked.

"My name is, it's Eren." The burning desire to add a customary "sir" to the end of my statement was almost uncanny. It forced me to bite the corner of my tongue.

"Eren, huh?" he said in question. "And you're really Levi's angel?"

"Yes, sir." That one had managed to slip through. Darnit. "I'm his guardian angel."

Erwin faced Levi, who in turn, held up his hands in his defense. "Hey, don't give me that look," he said. "I'm just as clueless about this as you are. All Hange and I know is that we were walking back from McDonald's, when Eren fell out of the sky and landed right in front of us. We waited for about five minutes or so, until he had regained his consciousness. After that, we asked him some questions, brought him back with us, and here we are right now." Throughout his explanation, Levi had strolled to and from the kitchen, and was now standing with his hand extended toward Erwin. "Give me a French fry."

Erwin grumbled something about Levi being a mooch, which he answered to with a playful smirk. "It's a French fry," he snickered, "I think you'll live."

"And I think you'd be able to live without one, too," Erwin countered, just as playfully.

"Ah, touche. Now give me a fry."

It was during this back and forth that I had become the very apparent elephant in the room. I began shifting my weight onto either foot again, playing with my feathers to try and keep me calm.

I hadn't realized it at first, but Hange had been trying to get my attention for a minute or two. He wasn't yelling or shouting or anything, so maybe that was why I hadn't noticed. He waved for me to follow him, mouthing the words, "Come here."

I followed him into a messy bedroom, one that was filled with old books and lots of empty Oreo wrappers. It was just my wild guess, but I was pretty sure that this was his bedroom. He ushered me to sit with him on the only unscathed part of his bed. After we were settled, he took a deep breath, releasing it like he had just finished confessing his sins to a priest.

"Eren Yeager, formerly a member of the 104th training division, more presently known for being a part of Lance Corporal Levi's Special Operations Squad. Ranking 5th in his graduation, with no remarkable skills of mastery, his pure determination was his driving force. With the ability to transform into a Titan, he became a formidable ally to all of humanity. His death was sudden and untimely, due to a gaping gash from a Titan's teeth that had severed his internal organs and heavily inflicted the back of his neck. He died at the age of seventeen. He died an unwritten hero."

I stared at him, and for the longest time, neither of us said a word. _'Hange,'_ I thought. _'No wonder that name had sounded so familiar.'_ It was blatantly obvious, actually. How else would he have been able to see me, had we not met in a prior lifetime? Hange was...

"Hanji Zoe," he smiled and pushed up his glasses. "That's the name you probably remember me by. Yeah, for some reason, I was reborn as a guy this time. Though, you've probably had your share of being reborn as a girl, too, am I right?"

I nodded, still enchanted by his recital of my prior status. He could sense that and allowed me my moment of reflection upon the memory. When that moment was up, he surprised me by saying something that caught me a bit off guard.

"You've noticed it by now, haven't you?"

"Noticed what?" I asked curiously. I'd noticed a lot of things, but I wanted to make sure that he and I were on the same page.

"You've noticed that," Hange began slowly, solemnly, "Levi and Erwin, you've noticed that they don't have an recollection of their past lives, right?"

His statement had struck me like a chord, but I proceeded to nod yet again.

"They don't remember anything, Eren," he sighed. "To them, the three of us, we're just buddies that met in our freshman year of high school. And you, you're not a former soldier, nor are you a lover. You're just an angel that we found on the side of the road."

* * *

_Hi there! Chappy here! :D_

_To all of my American readers, I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving yesterday! I know I did. (:_

_I kept telling myself that, since it's a holiday weekend, if I only made it to 3,000 or so words, I would still be proud of myself. Again, I wrote 4,400+ words. What is wrong with me? I just don't know._

_Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! The cliffhanger isn't as bad this time, right?_

_Thank you very much for taking the time to read! I hope you've enjoyed! (:_

_- Chappy_


	6. V-neck

I took what Hange had told me with a spoonful of remorse and just a pinch of self-wallowing. It was blatantly obvious that Levi didn't remember anything. If he had, he would have jumped into my arms and he would have told me the words that could make up for all of the time we had lost, all of the lifetimes we had missed each other. Okay, well, maybe he wouldn't have done that exactly, but he most certainly wouldn't have brushed me off as a mere phenomenon.

Hange must have sensed my sudden mood shift. He tried to rest his hand against my shoulder, but his effort was futile. Instead, his fingers merely phased right through. He chuckled lightly, though I could tell that he was trying to play off his embarrassment. "Hey," he said smoothly, "don't get so down, yeah? I mean, it's such a bummer that they don't remember anything, but what are you gonna do, right? At least you and I have the memories."

I didn't understand how he could still be smiling, after telling me something so upsetting. Was I the only one who found it as such? Maybe Hange had just had more time to cope with the matter. After all, he said that he, Erwin, and Levi had all met in high school, right? That gave them a good five or six years of advantage over my pathetic hour.

"Say, Hanji-I mean!" Wow. Had I really just made such a lame slip-up?

Still chuckling, Hange rubbed his hands together and smiled at me. "It's okay, Eren," he spoke assuringly. "It's kind of endearing to have someone call me that. For whatever reason, I've been reborn as a guy for my past three lifetimes. In all honesty, I kind of miss being a woman."

"I can relate to that," I nodded, folding my hands into my lap. It felt right to change the topic. I didn't think I could handle any more painful memories, for the time being. "In my previous lifetime, the one before my last, I mean, I had been a little girl named Ellen."

Hange seemed excited by that. "Really?! That's so precious! Oh, I bet you were so cute!"

"Uh..."

"Oh! Sorry," he apologized, and stood up from the bed, stretching his arms out before him. "You know, I think we should get back to the dueling duo now. I think I hear them feuding over the French fries again."

Hange was right. We needed to get back. For the entirety of our conversation, there had been a stinging itch in my side that, for whatever reason, I knew would subside when I was reunited with Levi. Would this become the norm? My over attachment to him? It must have been a guardian angel thing. I'd get used to it, but would he?

I followed Hange from behind as we re-entered the living room. He had been right, Levi and Erwin _were_ fighting over the last hand at the French fries, but it wasn't quite like I had imagined it to be. Somehow, watching my former Corporal and Commander playing rock-paper-scissors just didn't sit right with me. It was so...unlike them.

Levi threw out a rock, Erwin threw out a pair of scissors.

"I win," Levi said, reaching for the papery carton. "Give them to me."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Levi," Erwin warned playfully. "We're playing for the winner of two out of three. We're going again."

Erwin threw out a rock, and Levi threw out a piece of paper. He snatched the carton of fries before Erwin could protest his victory. In the midst of his turn to leave the room, Levi's gaze had met with mine. I swallowed nervously.

"Oh, you're still here?" he asked, fitting a limp French fry between his lips.

I was confused by his question. Did he think that I would just dissolve into thin air without notice? It was apparent that he needed to learn a thing or two about angels.

"Of course!" I smiled. "I hope you know that I'm here to stay. It's kind of how this whole guardian angel thing works."

"Oh." He sounded disinterested. "Alright."

I didn't need to hypothesize or think anything through, I _knew_ it was my presence that had caused the room to fall uncomfortably silent. Or maybe I knew nothing at all. What if the three of them were always this awkward, when they were together?

"This feels weird." Well, there was my answer, and Levi had been the one to say it.

"Weird?!" Hange gasped. "This may very well be the coolest thing that you will ever get to experience in your entire life, and you have the audacity to call it weird?!"

"Well, I'm not going to call it normal."

"No one ever told you to call it that! You'll hurt his feelings!"

Hange had startled me, by conclusively clapping his hands. He'd done so directly next to my ears, and it was an action that had caused me to topple over and for my wings to jut outward in support. In my search for stability, I had ended up knocking over a standing lamp. It was with a sigh of relief that the bulb was left intact.

"Levi," Erwin spoke, addressing the only man who was not at fault, "I agreed for both you and Hange to stay here, but if he is going to become a disturbance to the peaceful life we have living here, I'm going to have to ask you to-"

"He won't."

For some reason, I half expected it to be Hange to come to my defense. He seemed way more interested in my existence, anyways. It was a pleasant surprise, one that I welcomed whole-heartedly, when it had been Levi to do so.

Erwin sighed heavily, as he stood up from the chair. "Make sure of that." I could tell he was speaking to the both of them, both Levi and Hange, that is.

"Aye, aye, Commander!" Hange giggled. I picked up on that, and turned to look at him all too quickly. He shot me a friendly wink.

It was with another sigh that Erwin said, "Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that, Hange? It's irritating."

"Oops!" he smiled. "Force of habit, I guess!"

Rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck, Erwin shook his head at his noisy roommate. "I need to study now. I have a Psychology test tomorrow, so please try to keep the volume to a minimum. Also, keep the TV off. The electricity bill was way too high last month."

Something in the way that Hange rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously told me that he was to blame for it. Maybe he'd fallen asleep with the TV on once, twice, possibly even three times.

"That's alright!" Hange seemingly decided. "I'll just hang out in here with Eren!"

"Hang out by yourself," Levi said, grabbing everyone's attention with his statement. "I want Eren to come with me."

With a single gesture of his hand, I found myself rapidly weaving my way over to Levi's side. I say weave, because that's exactly what I had to do. I'd become all too aware of the size of my wings, and to avoid another unnecessary mishap, I squeezed through the space between the coffee table and the couch just to get to him. He didn't seem too impressed by my feat.

"Levi, that's so unfair," Hange whined. "You're hogging Eren all for yourself!"

I watched Levi fold his arms and shrug his shoulders. "Why can't I? He's _my_ guardian angel, isn't he?"

Hearing such a thing, and coming from him no less, caused my heart to swell. Yes, it was true. I was his. Everything about me, it belonged to him. But we shared a joint-custody of each other, for every part of me that he owned, I guarded and protected on him.

I'm pretty sure Hange could see that I was pleased by what Levi had said, so he dropped his pending complaint. He must have felt the need to add one last thing, though, because he said, "Yeah, I guess you're right." He smiled then, pausing before he concluded his thought. "He's yours."

* * *

Erwin ventured off to what I presumed to be his bedroom, while Levi guided me down a small hallway. "This is where our bathroom and linen closet is," he explained, pointing to each door as we passed by. I'm not sure why he was telling me all of this, and honestly, I don't think he knew why, either. He probably just wanted to make the vibe between the both of us one that was more bearable.

When we reached the last door on the left, he opened it and allowed me to enter first, telling me that it was just incase he had to give me a push from behind to get my wings through the doorway. Luckily, it didn't come to that, and I was able to slip into the room with ease. Looking around, I had to laugh at myself. There was no doubt in my mind that this was his bedroom, but I still felt obliged to ask, "Is this your bedroom?"

"Uh, yeah?" he said, in a questioning tone. "Why are you laughing?"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" I quickly apologized. That's right. I couldn't say strange things like, "It's just like you to keep your bedroom spotless," or "You haven't changed at all." Thinking on the fly, I came up with something that seemed decent enough to verbalize. "I just didn't imagine that someone like you would keep your room so clean. I thought all boys had messy bedrooms."

"Yeah, well, not me," he mumbled, kicking off his combat boots, and resting them delicately beside a shoe rack. "Erwin and Hange would live like pigs, if it weren't for me. I clean this place top to bottom every Wednesday. I don't touch their bedrooms, though. I'm pretty sure Hange's is full of toxins, while Erwin would kick me out of this place, if I so much as touched anything of his."

That sounded a bit extreme to me, but I chose not to comment on it. I strolled over to his bureau, trying to figure out all of the things on top of it. A hair product, a comb, a stick of deodorant, a three-part novel series, two picture frames, and a pack of gum. I took a closer look at the frames. "Hey, what are these from?" I asked, having trouble deciphering the meaning within the pictures.

Levi unzipped his hoodie and hung it on the back of his door. "The one on the left is a picture of my hometown," he replied, "and the one of the right is a picture of Hange and me eating burgers on the curbside of McDonald's."

"Oh, yeah?" Smiling, I picked up the picture of his hometown. "Where are you from?"

"Toronto. We moved here, when I was five, so I don't have much memory of the place. I only remember what it looked like, because of that picture."

"And you and Hange?" I wondered. "You two must be pretty close, if you have a picture of the both of you together."

"I guess," Levi shrugged. He rolled up the sleeves of his black v-neck and sat on the edge of his bed. It was considerably smaller than Hange's, I noticed. "We have a weird relationship. We act like we don't get along at all, but when the going gets tough, we know that we can count on each other."

I understood where he was coming from. He and Hange must have been through a lot together, in their high school years. Erwin, too. "What about Erwin?" I asked. "You don't have a picture with him?"

"Nah, that'd be weird. Erwin and I have a strange relationship, too."

I rose an eyebrow at him. "Is there anyone that you have a _normal_ relationship with?"

I took a bit of pride in the fact that I had caused him to quietly chuckle. Slowly, awkward was giving way to contentment, and I could tell that it was putting the both of us at ease. He smirked. "I don't think there's such a thing, Eren. I don't think such a relationship exists."

Why was it that the sound of my name had caused not only my heart to flutter, by my wings, as well? The familiarity in his voice was so nostalgic, I almost couldn't bear it. In order to calm myself down, I changed the subject. "So, what are all of you studying? What are your majors?"

"You mean Erwin," Levi corrected.

"...Huh?" I was confused.

"Erwin's the only one that goes to college. Hange and I dropped out in our first year."

"Oh, I didn't know." Because really, how would I have known? They all lived so close to the college itself that it only felt natural to assume. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked, cocking his head at me. "Because you misjudged, or because you feel bad for us."

I felt like I was being put on the spot again, and Lord knows how I hate being put on the spot. "Well, I, uh, I mean, I think both, I guess?" Lord also knows I sound like a babbling idiot when it happens, too.

"Well, you shouldn't," he sighed. "It was my choice. Hange's, too. We could have continued our studies, but we just weren't feeling it anymore. We're not as driven toward a cause like Erwin is."

All of this talk about college was fascinating to me. It was sad to say, but throughout all of my reincarnations, I had never once lived past the age of seventeen. That's why college was still such a curiosity to me. "Really?" I asked. "What is he studying to be?"

"A doctor," Levi answered, though he paused for a moment to snicker. "Oh, no, excuse me, a _surgeon_. Ugh, he gets so mad at me, whenever I make that 'mistake'."

I smiled for the sake of not knowing anything better to say. If Levi wasn't a student, he must have had a job somewhere, right? How else would he be able to help with the rent of their apartment? "Do you work somewhere?" I questioned, but quickly withdrew myself when he held a hand up at me.

"I feel like I'm being interviewed," Levi breathed. I felt inclined to apologize again, but the look that he gave me was a silent order to refrain from doing so. "How about we do this. I'll talk for a bit, tell you some things about myself and the others, and then no more questions. You'll have to figure the rest out on your own."

I could agree to that. It sounded fun, even. Although we were long ago lovers, there was still so much to learn, so much to explore about ourselves. I'd already learned that his cleanliness trait had carried over, as well as his million dollar glare. What else was the same?

Tucking my legs beneath my backside, I sat carefully on the carpeted floor below, waiting for him to continue. My wings relaxed against my shoulders, no longer feeling the need to support my stance. I was completely at ease, and I couldn't help from feeling that it was because I was with Levi. Again, it must have been a guardian angel thing.

When I seemed like I was absolutely ready to listen, Levi pressed his palms against the mattress of his bed and began rattling off his knowledge. "Okay, so like I said, I was born in Toronto. My parents and I moved to America when I was five, and we've been here ever since. Hange, as I'm sure you must have guessed by now, his accent is so ridiculously thick, is Australian. His first year in high school was his first year in the country. As for Erwin, he's your typical rich kid. He could have anything he wanted, if he asked his parents for it. It's funny how a guy who could have it all decided to move away from his prime providers. I guess I can't blame him, though. I've met his parents before. They're total dictators. He says otherwise, but I highly doubt becoming a doctor-"

"Surgeon," I interrupted playfully.

He snorted. "Right, right, a _surgeon_. I highly doubt becoming a surgeon was ever his chosen path to pursue, not with the way he so avidly talks about the army."

"The army?" I echoed, finding this new bit of information very interesting. I wanted to know more.

"Yeah, he's totally into it," Levi nodded. "It's so obvious. If his parents weren't pushing him to study so hard, he would definitely enlist. You know, I could picture him as a commanding officer. He's got the balls for it."

"Yeah, I could see it, too," I agreed mindlessly.

"What?" Levi questioned.

"What?" I questioned in return. Luckily, Levi didn't provoke me. He carried on.

"You asked if I have a job, right?" I nodded. "Well, I do, but I don't feel like telling you what it is yet. You'll just have to wait and see for yourself." I smiled at that, accepting his statement as a challenge of sorts. "As for Hange, he works at a pet store. He's a dog groomer, as well as a trainer. He loves getting to play with the animals there, because there's no way in Hell that Erwin would let us keep a pet. Actually, that's probably why Hange is so excited to have you here. You're probably the closest thing to a pet that we'll ever get."

Wearing an amiable expression, I lifted my shoulders and tilted my head to the side. I wasn't so sure that I liked being called "the closest thing to a pet", but if it was what made everyone happy, I would bark and wag my "tail" and much as possible.

"And that's about it, really," Levi concluded, lifting himself from his bed. He yawned and stretched his arms high above his head, causing his shirt to ride up to his waist. I tried not to stare, but could I really be penalized for it if I did? His skin looked so smooth, but if memory served me right, it was absolutely firm to the touch. If only I could touch him now...

In an instant that I was not prepared for, Levi began to strip himself of his shirt, followed by the unbuckling of his belt.

"Whoa!" I shouted, jumping to my feet.

Levi jolted, a reaction to my sudden movement. He sounded exasperated, when he asked, "What?"

Did I have a legitimate answer for him? Probably not. "I just, I wasn't expecting you to do that."

"What, take of my clothes?" Exhaling slowly, he continued with the task of his belt. "I need to take a shower." He hesitated. "This is going to sound more suggestive than I intend it to be, but I presume you'll be joining me?"

Feeding my fingers through my hair, I nodded sheepishly. "I have to make sure that you're safe at all times," I murmured. "The shower is no exception to that."

"Should I slip and fall?" he teased. "I'm curious to see what you would do."

My expressed became cross. His idea reminded me of something Jean would propose to do. "Guardian angels don't find that kind of humor funny, Levi," I said sternly, like I was the expert on what angels did or didn't find funny already. "If your life is in danger, I just don't know-"

"Hey. Eren," Levi cut in. "Cool it. I was kidding." He made his way over to the door, faltering for just a second to see if I was behind him. I was. "I'll try to make it quick, alright? I'm tired, you're tired, we're all tired from this evening. Let's sleep in tomorrow morning, okay?"

I nodded graciously. That sounded like a splendid idea to me. Apparently, I'd been sleeping for three days prior to this morning, but to me, it felt as if I hadn't slept a wink.

I followed Levi to the linen closet, where he grabbed himself a wash cloth and a towel. I'd never used a wash cloth before. Personally, I had always been the type of guy to just drag a bar of soap across my body, but to each his own, I suppose.

In the bathroom, I sat on the edge of the sink, waiting with my eyes covered as Levi finished taking off the rest of his clothes. When he'd retreated behind the shower curtain, I felt it safe enough to remove my hands. I could hear him huffing at me.

"You know that we're both guys, right?" There was the sound of shampoo squirting against his palm.

"Yes, I know that," I responded warily.

"Why did you cover your eyes, then? It's not like I particularly care about my body, or anything. Did you feel uncomfortable?"

Uncomfortable, maybe, but now that he had brought such a thing to my attention, why _did_ I cover my eyes? It wasn't like I hadn't seen his body before, touched his body before, caressed his body - okay, yeah. That was probably why I had covered them.

"That's not it!" I answered. "I was covering them merely out of respect for your standards. If you have nothing against such a thing, I won't shield my eyes anymore." Lord, have mercy.

"'Kay," he replied simply, squirting another handful of shampoo. He rinsed, lathered, and repeated, I guess.

I remained quiet for almost the full duration of his shower. Curiosity got the better of me, however, and I glanced over my shoulder at the mirror above the sink. Gasping, I fell over with a loud thud.

"Crap!" I shouted. I'd fallen on one of my wings, and God, did it hurt.

Levi cursed and ripped back the shower curtain. "Are you okay?

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I said, wincing like the fallen hero that I was. "I just, I haven't actually seen myself until just now, I...wow."

I was back on my feet, looking at the mirror in a state of absolute wonder. Was this really me? I looked so...majestic. My skin was so much paler than I remembered it ever being before, and my eyes shined with an intensity that could only be the product of something celestial. And my wings, my _wings_, to say that they were large was an understatement. They were freaking huge! And now that I could see them, that I could view the way that they brought a sense of purpose to my shoulders, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop myself from staring at them. For my own amusement, I flapped my wings once, no, twice. Damn, this was cool.

In all of my excitement, I hadn't even heard the shower turn off. Levi was already wrapped in his towel and ready to make the short trip back to his bedroom. I walked behind him, focusing my gaze on his every footstep. His stride was small, but quick. Yet another thing I could add to his list of sames.

After he'd dried off, he changed into his sleeping attire, consisting of sweatpants, another v-neck, and thick ankle socks. He asked me if I wanted to change into anything else. For now, I told him no, but I knew that I would take him up on his offer eventually. Just not right now. Now, all I wanted to do was sleep, and I could tell that he felt the same way.

Levi rubbed his towel against his wet hair and collapsed against his bed. Curling up into a fetal ball, he closed his eyes and groaned. "Today was interesting," he said, eyeing me from where he lay.

"It was, wasn't it?" I agreed, dressing my lips in their most charming of smiles. Being an angel was tough. You sure had to smile a lot.

Levi's eyes never once left my face, as he said, "You know, you can be yourself around me. Actually, I'd prefer that. Don't be fake with me just to keep up appearances. Be real. I didn't even believe in angels until just a few hours ago, so be as real as possible with me."

Somehow, a wave of relief washed over me, and a genuine smile slipped past my awareness. "Thank you." And after I had said it, he turned himself over and began folding up his towel.

"Do you have a place where you usually put dirty towels?" I wondered.

"Yeah, that hamper over there," he said, pointing toward the small wicker basket that was situated in the wedge behind his door.

"I can put it in there for you, if you'd like," I offered.

"You're my angel, not my housemaid. I can do it myself."

He didn't sound offended, in fact, he seemed grateful that I had even offered to do such a thing. What could I say? I'd learned to become more tidy. Little did he know that it was _he_ who had trained me.

After tossing the towel into the basket, Levi returned to his bed and pulled back the covers. Climbing in, he brought the sheets all the way up to his nose and began to nestle himself until he was comfortable. When he'd found his spot, he sighed peacefully. "It's going to be weird having an angel in my bed," he said.

Weird was the last thing I had wanted this to be for him. For the both of us, really. "I can sleep on the floor," I responded, already getting myself into position. "Angels sleep in a different way than humans, so I'll be okay like this-"

"Get on the bed, Eren." I got on the bed.

He sounded sleepy, as he told me that he was "freaking exhausted". He tossed and turned for a bit, sighing again and again, each and every time he had found that perfect position. It was nice to watch, but it was also a tad tiresome. _'Fall asleep, please,'_ I thought to myself. I needed to know that he was resting and well to be able to fall asleep, as well.

Ten minutes later, it happened. He'd begun to breathe a lot slower, no longer moving about like he had been before. The tension in his eyebrows fell slack, while the rise and fall of his chest proved to be a decent rhythm, enough motivation for me to finally get some sleep.

Bringing my wings forward and wrapping them around my body like a tent, I sighed happily and closed my eyes. Although hectic, today had been a very good day. In under twenty-four hours, I'd learned how to fly, returned to Earth, and found my human - who just so happened to be Levi, the very same Levi that I had loved so dearly in a world so cruel.

"Love..."

...What? Was that me? Had I said something aloud that I shouldn't have? Peeking through a small gap that I had formed with my wings, I watched in absolute and undefinable awe as Levi, asleep and dreaming, murmured four, unmistakable words that could only be meant for me.

"I love you, Eren."

* * *

_Hi there! Chappy here! :D_

_Oops, another cliffhanger. I'm so sorry, but at least you get my longest chapter yet, topping out at 4,500+ words! (:_

_Thank you for taking the time to read, and I hope you've enjoyed!_

_- Chappy_


	7. Later

Was this real? Had Levi really just said that? To _me_? No, he was asleep. He was dreaming, right? But he had said my name. My name, it had been paired with a love confession. It was the acknowledgment of an emotion we used to share for one another. This couldn't be right. Hange had said that Levi had no recollection of the past. But maybe...this was something that even Hange didn't know about.

I'd discuss it with him in the morning.

Pulling my wings back, I tried to block out the idea of Levi having ever said such a thing. I felt happy and I felt blessed, but a much larger portion of my conscious mind was telling me to be wary of this incident. I needn't walk on eggshells, but I didn't have to explain to Levi what he had said, either. I needed to play it cool, but God, I needed to get some sleep.

Sleeping as an angel really was different from sleeping as a human. Not just the position, but the actual act of it, too. I don't know why I hadn't realized it already, it wasn't like this was my first time falling asleep (it was my second), but it almost felt like an overwhelming sensation of warmth had started taking over my body. It reminded me of the secure incubation I had felt within my egg, and now that I had the chance to appreciate it, I really liked it. I was asleep within minutes.

A sudden sound that had I remembered all to well awoke me, some odd number of hours later. I guess annoying alarm clocks are pretty common, then again, I don't think there's such a thing as a "pleasant" alarm clock, either. It was with a yawn and a stretch that my wings parted lazily, revealing my hunched over form. What time was it anyway? Levi had mentioned something about sleeping in, but it still seemed early to me. I took a peek over the small mound of covers that I assumed to be Levi and looked at the clock. Displayed in bright red, cubic numbers, I read 12:01 PM.

My wings began to flap anxiously. Did we sleep in too late? And why did it feel like it was still so early? Assessing my surroundings, I think it might have had something to do with that fact that Levi owned blackout curtains. How he ever had the energy to wake up with those things eluded me.

"Hey, Levi?" I said softly, doing my best not to disturb him. If not my voice, the loud beeping of his alarm clock surely would.

A horribly guttural sound, starting in his throat and resting on his tongue, passed through Levi's lips, as his arm shot out from underneath the sheets and slammed the snooze button. Wow, if only my alarm clock had had one of those. It would have been much appreciated on the mornings that I'd spent messing around with the stupid thing.

"What?" Oh, he was talking to me.

Climbing off the edge of the bed, I straightened out my angelic garb and rattled my brain for words. "Oh, I...I just thought that we should probably wake up now. I think we've slept late enough, haven't we? And you must be hungry, right? It's important you eat a well-balanced meal, you know, and you've already missed breakfast, so-"

"Eren," he interrupted me. His voice was deep and scratchy, more than definitely a factor from his rest. Before he had the chance to say anything else, I was already apologizing.

"I'm really sorry! These words, they come out before I can stop them, and-"

"_Eren_," he'd interrupted me again. I let him speak this time.

"Um, yes?"

I heard him yawn, as he crawled out from under the covers and sat up. He raked his fingers through his hair, and turned his head to look directly at me. Like an idiot, I immediately stiffened.

"What is it?" I asked nervously.

I'm pretty sure Levi could sense my unease, for he dropped whatever it was that he was going to say and picked up something else. "Let's get dressed," he suggested. "I have work in an hour."

All of my worries seemed to subside, when I found myself getting very excited. Levi's workplace was still a mystery to me, and he'd planned on keeping it that way until I found out where it was for myself. I desperately hoped that he wasn't involved in any kind of shady business, though. He really needn't rehash his past life as a thug.

I watched him climb out of his bed and fix the covers, pulling them tight at the ends to give the appearance of neatness. After he fluffed up his pillows, he took a quick look at himself in the mirror that was connected to his bureau and scoffed. "You'd think I slept in a tornado," he muttered under his breath. I tried not to laugh, but I had to admit that he was right. His nightwear was disheveled, and his hair was an absolute catastrophe.

"I'm sure if you use some of the jelly stuff that you have on your bureau, you'll be able to fix your hair," I smiled. "It looks quite expensive."

"Mm, not really," he sighed, opening a drawer that contained some shirts, most of which were deep greys or earthy colors. "That stuff is only good for styling. If I want to fix this rat's nest, I'll have to take another shower. Ugh, I should probably do that first."

We were in the bathroom, and as Levi conditioned his hair, I found myself staring into the mirror again. I wasn't trying to be vain, but I couldn't help myself from being amazed. It was like being an angel gave you an instant ticket to beauty.

Hearing Levi curse snapped me out of my daze. Within the blink of an eye, I was alert and asking, "What's the matter?"

"Nah, it's nothing," he replied, but I could tell from his hesitance that he was hiding something.

"No, you have to tell me," I said, sounding stern enough for him to give in.

Groaning, he contemplated his response, before saying, "...I cut my leg."

"...You did what?" How could he have done that? I had originally thought that he was only going to wash his hair. In retrospect, he shouldn't have even been _doing_ anything to his legs. Wait, what was he doing to his legs?

I heard another groan. "I cut my _leg_," he repeated irritably.

"But _how_?" I asked in just the same way.

"By...shaving?"

"What?!" I gasped. "Why are you shaving your legs? You're a guy! You don't have to do that!"

"First of all, not true. I can do whatever I want. And secondly, I hate body hair. I shave under my arms, too."

I hadn't meant to sound so judgmental, and he had a point. He could do whatever he pleased. The initial idea of it was just a bit odd to me. He cussed again.

"Hey, are you even using shaving cream?" I wondered.

He answered with the negatory. "I ran out, and I haven't had the chance to stop by the store yet. I'm using body wash."

"Well, that won't do," I spoke sympathetically.

"No, it won't," he agreed, "but there's nothing I can do about it."

Stepping closer to the shower, I folded my hands together and rocked on my heels out of habit. "Can I see your leg?" I questioned, trying to sound as innocent as I could manage.

Levi must have been confused, but he didn't seem to show it as he obliged my request. He pulled the shower curtain back, and it was just enough so that he could prop his foot up on the side of the tub. It was pretty cool how their shower served as both.

Looking at the side of his calve, I was able to see the two cuts he had made. They weren't too bad, but they still caused my sides to itch. I didn't want them there, not on his body. I wanted them gone.

I'm guessing Levi could see the discontent in my eyes, because he withdrew his leg and continued shaving. "Look," he spoke, quickly grabbing my attention, "I don't know too much about guardian angels and all that jazz, I only know the things that you've told me about them, but my guess is that once the damage is done, nothing can erase it, right? I mean, that's just life."

I shrugged at first, but then I nodded. "I think you're right. My job is protect you so that a harmful action does not take place. But once it does..."

He turned off the shower. "But once it does," he repeated, "there's nothing you can do about it."

After he'd stepped out and grabbed for this towel, Levi applied some aftershave to his leg. It was ironic to me how he had that, but not any actual shaving cream. Whatever the case, he need to get dressed, so we made our way back to his bedroom. Again, he offered me a change of clothes.

"Maybe we can figure something out, when you get off from work," I said. "I wouldn't want you to be late, or anything like that."

Scoffing, Levi pulled a grey v-neck over his head. "Arriving fashionably late is my whole shtick. It's gets my boss pretty ticked, but whatever. She can deal with it. She's such a dictator."

I sat on the edge of his bed. "You use that word a lot," I noticed.

"What do you mean?" He pulled his arms through his sleeves. "What word?"

"Dictator. You use it a lot. You used it just yesterday to describe Erwin's parents. Speaking of Erwin, where is he? And Hange?" I was mostly curious about Hange. I still wanted to talk to him and tell him about what had happened last night.

Levi seemed impressed, as he responded, "You're right, I did. Huh. Well, whatever. I only use it, when it's true. You'll see what I mean. As for Erwin, he's at school. He had that Psychology test, remember? And Hange, he's probably at the pet store. His hours are all messed up, so I can never tell for sure."

That was a bummer. I'd have to figure out a way to explain it to him later.

Shimmying into a pair of denim skinny jeans that he'd grabbed from his closet, Levi walked back over to his bureau and reached for his comb and his hair product.

"Are you planning on styling it?" I asked.

"That is the plan," he said. Dipping his index and his middle fingers into the paste, he began to tease his hair with the comb and work out all of the matts. He seemed experienced, what with the way his hair obeyed his every stroke and command. It made me a bit envious. As a human, my hair had been nothing short of average in both style and color, but with Levi, it was like his hair was Cinderella and he was its fairy godmother.

I hadn't realized that I had been staring, until he said, "Eren, you're staring."

"Oh, was I?" I smiled, trying to play off my embarrassment. He rested his hand against his hip. I assumed it as my cue to continue. "Well, I, it's just that your hair looks really nice like that. You look really cool."

"You think?" I couldn't tell if he was being modest or sarcastic. Something in the way that he'd raised his eyebrow and quirked the corner of his lip leaned my judgement toward the latter. "Well, you know. Gotta look presentable. By the way, are your wings alright?"

At that, I tilted my head slightly. "What?"

"Your wings. You fell on them in the bathroom last night. Are they okay?"

It was touching that he cared for my well-being. That was supposed to be_ my _job. Whatever. We were still getting used to our roles anyway.

"Yeah, they're fine," I answered. Flapping them back and forth with ease, I attempted to prove myself to him. "See?"

Levi nodded and turned to grab something else from his closet. He pulled out a jacket that sported faux leather sleeves. Since when had he become so fashion forward? Just yesterday, he was wearing a sweatshirt. When he'd said that he needed to look presentable for his job, he really wasn't kidding. Now, I was all but brimming with excitement. I wanted to know where he worked.

Down the hall, Levi picked up a ring of his keys and stuffed them into his pocket. Before we left, he shot me an over-the-shoulder glance. "While we're in public," he began, shoving his feet into his boots, "try to keep talking to a minimum. I don't want people to think that I'm talking to myself."

I understood where he was coming from, and with a childish motion of my hand, I locked my lips and threw away the key. My act hadn't gone without comment.

"Adorable," he snickered. "Let's go."

Levi walked below, as I flew from above. It felt wonderful to stretch out my wings and coast through the air in flight. I didn't want to show off or anything, but I'd even gone as far as preforming a few twists and twirls. It left me with a deflated ego, when I'd realized that Levi hadn't been looking. I'd come to the conclusion that maybe I _had_ been trying to strut my stuff, if only just a little bit.

Speaking of strutting some stuff, that's exactly what Levi was doing. Walking down the pavement in a manner that was much unlike the way he had been last night - not just last night, but this morning, too - he held a certain sense about him, an aura that read, "Step aside, I'm coming through." With his hands in his pockets and his chin held high, I had to say, he resembled a runway model.

I was still unable to tell where we were going, and our surroundings weren't very helpful to me, either. If I'd had a watch, I would have been checking it a billion times, because I was pretty sure that we were late. Levi had mentioned something earlier about it being his trademark to arrive past clock-in, but I could tell from the way he'd picked up his gait that he had been full of it.

We passed small business after small business, and I had to admit that I was getting pretty antsy. I couldn't picture Levi working in any of these places. Papa Pete's Pastries? Red Ralph's Recycling? Anabelle's Antiques? None of them sounded right. None of them seemed to fit. However, within three, carefully timed strides, Levi was turning the corner and entering a side shop. What was it? I hadn't managed to catch the name.

I landed to my feet as gracefully as I possibly could, which meant that it hadn't been graceful at all. I'd nearly toppled over, but bless those lumps of feathers, my wings had saved me again. It felt silly, but I almost wanted to thank them. They always seemed to be looking out for me. Although, at the moment, I had a much more serious matter to attend to: Levi.

"What's up, _girls_?" Wait, what? _What_? In all of my days, in all of my lifetimes, I had never heard, nor could I have ever imagined, something so unmistakably flamboyant coming from Levi's lips. His hair, his clothes, his strut, all of it had been mere build-up to what he had just unleashed a few seconds ago. Just, what the heck was going on?

"Ugh, Levi!" I heard a woman's voice whine. "Where have you been? I scheduled an appointment for one o' clock, and it's already quarter past!"

"Oh, Donna," Levi chuckled, he _chuckled_, "you should know by now that I never kiss and tell. Forget tipping me, and we'll call it even. Now put down that tabloid trash and have a seat."

I was in a daze, as I looked all around me. A magazine rack resting by the door, coat hooks perched on the wall for customers' convenience, and the scent of hair dye mixed with shampoo was almost sickening. For the love of God, Levi worked in a beauty salon.

I wanted to laugh, I wanted to cry, but most of all, I wanted answers. How did Levi, humanity's strongest and most feared soldier, get hired at a beauty salon? A _beauty_ salon!

_'Well, you know. Gotta look presentable.'_

Yeah, if that wasn't the truth, I didn't know what was. Just a little over an hour ago, I had been staring into the face of absolute death upon his awakening. Now, Levi was laughing and smiling, sashaying his way over to a spinning chair that I'm sure he intended to be for his customer. He instructed her to take her seat.

"So, what are we doing today, Donna?" he asked, his fingers aimlessly roaming through her hair. "Your usual two inches, or something more exotic?"

"My usual," she responded with a sigh. "I have a business meeting tomorrow, so I can't mess around. Maybe another time."

"Aw, that's no fun," Levi said, reaching for a styling comb. "You should branch out a bit. I mean, come _on_. It's the same thing again and again, every six weeks!"

Donna seemed to rethink her original answer. It was in that small pause of conversation that he'd looked over at me. I wanted to smile, or do something, anything to acknowledge his gaze, but I just stood there like a statue. He smirked. I felt stupid.

"I don't know, Levi," she finally said. "What do you think?"

"Well, that depends," he answered, twirling one of his fingers around a particularly long strand of her hair. "Do you trust my judgement?"

"Of course!" She'd said it a bit too quickly. "Of course, it's just, I don't want it to look too..."

"Bold? Daring? Intrepid?" Wow, Levi had a way with adjectives.

"Yes, exactly!" She rested her hands against her lap. "Maybe I do want something different, but I still want my style to be reserved and business-like. Do you think you can do that?"

Levi rose an eyebrow, as he looked into the mirror before the both of them. "Darling, I can do _anything_. And trust me, you're going to _love_ it, when I'm done."

The fact that this Donna person was all but swooning, because of Levi's response, made me want to rush over there and reclaim what was rightfully mine. Levi was _mine_. I wouldn't let anyone else...wait, was I alright? Was I insane? Yes, Levi was mine, but in a much different sense. He was mine to protect and to guard, but he wasn't mine by the definition of humans. In that sort of standard, I didn't even know what we were.

The sound of blades slicing hair caused me to look up, and when I did, my eyes widened a great deal. Levi had literally just chopped off a good five inches from that woman's hair. What used to be a past-the-shoulder style was now making headway into becoming a pixie cut. That's what they called it, right? I'd have to ask Levi later.

I didn't know if it was customary for Levi to do this will all of his customers, or if Donna was just a special case, but he had turned her chair around so that she wasn't facing the mirror. The whole spin around and getting a surprise thing was kind of cool, but what if the person didn't like it? There was no such thing as do-overs when cutting hair. Again, I'd have to ask Levi about that later.

The time seemed to fly by, as Levi continued to snip and snap away. About thirty minutes later, he was ready for the big reveal. "Donna, are you ready?" he asked, reaching over the back of the chair to massage her shoulders.

"Yeah, I think I am." There was a shake in her voice. I could tell she was nervous.

Levi released his hands from her shoulders and grabbed onto the arms of the chair. "Okay, I'm going to spin you around now."

It was with a slow and suspenseful twirl that Levi had brought her back into the proper position. In a flash, her hands were covering her mouth and tears were bubbling at her eyelids.

Personally, I would have been scared out of my mind that I'd done something wrong, but Levi was as calm as ever. "Now, tell me," he said softly, "do you love it, or do you love it?"

She must have been unable to form words, because all Donna did was nod her head. Turning around, she jumped from the chair and gave Levi a big hug. My jealously was on the rise, yet again.

"Oh, Levi," she sobbed, "it's perfect! It's absolutely perfect! It still looks reserved, but it's something new, and God, I love it so much!"

He must of got that a lot, I thought, or maybe he didn't. Maybe this woman was overly dramatic. I'd have a lot of things to ask him later tonight.

"Of course you love it," Levi responded arrogantly. "Pixie bobs are all the rage these days. Now, seriously, will you ever question my talent for these kinds of things ever again?"

She shook her head. She shook it so fast that her new hairdo flopped about, hitting against her face.

"Good," Levi smirked. "Now pay me, because I did a good job."

He walked her to the cash register. I stepped out of the way, as they passed, which was something that I really didn't _have_ to do, but was a habit that I knew would die hard. Donna would have walked right through me, just like everyone else who wasn't Levi.

That got me thinking for a second. Levi and I...we'd only had one act of any sort of physical contact with one another. This woman, she'd had at least three.

After Levi stuffed the money into the cash register and accepted his tip - the one that he'd said for Donna not to give, but expected anyway - he waved her off and grabbed a nearby broom to begin sweeping up her hair. I followed him.

A few women were still tending to their costumers, and it was with that piece of knowledge that it'd become very obvious to me that Levi was the only male employee that worked there. I wanted to comment on that.

"It must be weird," I said. I stepped out of his way, as he swept next to my feet.

It was a non-verbal response, but a response nonetheless. If for only just a second, he'd looked at me.

"Weird, I mean, because you're the only guy that works here." He shrugged. I stopped talking, for the time being.

When he was finished cleaning up the floor around his area, Levi meticulously straightened out his combs and his brushes. He seemed very focused in what he was doing, but I was more than a bit restless from my lack of answers.

"So, you cut people's hair," I stated, finding it to be an easy enough conversation starter, as well as ender.

Levi used one of the combs he had been arranging to poke a small piece of paper on the corner of his tray. It resembled a business card, but was clearly handmade. I read it aloud.

"Cosmetologist?" I said questioningly. "What the-?"

He cut me off by tapping the bottom of the paper. I continued to read it.

"Hair stylist and..." No way. No, there was no way. Not Levi, no. "...Make-up artist?"

Nonchalantly waving his comb around like a little flag of victory, he went back to rearranging his tray.

This was crazy. Levi, _the_ Levi, working as both a hair stylist and a make-up artist. This beauty salon really had it all, didn't it? It was my guess that there must have been some back room of sorts that hosted all of the make-up and beautifying products.

"Hey, where is she?" Levi asked. He wasn't talking to me.

"She's in the back room with a bride-to-be," one of Levi's co-workers responded. "She's been in there for over an hour now, so I'm almost positive that she's finishing up. Oh, look. Speak of the devil."

And speak of the devil indeed.

Flaming red stilettos clacked against the linoleum, as a woman dressed in clothing as black as her hair came strutting into view. Wrapped around her neck in a cross knot was a scarf to match her lips, which were also kissably rouge. It wasn't until I'd caught her gaze that we were both taken by the sight of one another. I was at a loss of all words, but one.

"...Mikasa?"

* * *

_Hi there! Chappy here! :D_

_Another cliffhanger to start off your weekends! You're welcome. (:_

_Now, there's something that I really would like to mention. In the previous chapter, I had made a major slip-up. I am so grateful to the one reader who caught it and commented about it, because it is seriously a major part of the story!_

In Chapter 6, I had written that Hange not only touched Eren's shoulder, but his waist, as well. Obviously, he shouldn't have been able to do that! The chapter is edited and fixed now, but please remember that it was a big mistake on my part and that Levi is the only one who can touch/be touched by Eren.

On that note, I hope you've enjoyed! (:

- Chappy


	8. Answers?

Even though a handful of numbers had been added to her age, Mikasa still looked just the same. Her eyes were as, if not more prominent than ever, clearly the result of a special code of burnt black eyeliner. And her eyelashes, fierce and lengthy, they'd never looked fuller. Were they false? It was a possibility. Real or fake, her stare was captivating.

I didn't know whether to rush over to her, or to hide behind Levi. Neither of my options seemed all that smart, but it didn't stop me from edging closer to Levi regardless. Not exactly hiding, yet not exactly presenting myself, either.

Luckily, the other stylists minded their own business, not finding it strange at all that their boss had decided to stop short in her ruby red tracks. Little did their innocent minds know that _I _was the cause behind such a thing.

It was the single beckoning of a well-manicured finger that inclined Levi to nonchalantly brush his arm against mine, a signal that we'd better follow Mikasa to wherever she was taking us. One of the rooms in the back, maybe? Not knowing what was going to happen caused my wings to flutter anxiously.

"Hey, don't do that here," Levi scolded in a hush. "You'll knock something over."

He was right. We needn't have another episode, like with the standing lamp.

I folded my wings as much as possible, hoping that it would suffice and allow me to pass through the tiny walkway. And it was, but just barely.

I could sense that Levi was just as nervous as I was. He wore an expression that reflected an air of confidence, but I knew he was suppressing a much deeper emotion. No worries, though. My own face was dressed in enough discomfort for the both of us.

My toes curled against the linoleum, as we walked. Mikasa had stopped once again, but this time, it wasn't because she's been baffled by the sight of an angel in the middle of her beauty salon, it was to usher both Levi and me into a spare room, one that I soon deemed to be a make-up supply room, upon entry. She closed the door behind us, waiting a great deal of seconds before releasing an aggravated sigh.

During those seconds, I allowed myself some time to think. This was Mikasa. My sister, my friend, my comrade. I'd died long before she did, I was sure of it, and if I'd known her well - and believe me, I did - there was no doubt in my mind that she'd contributed to the success of humanity. Just imagining it made me feel so proud of her. It made me want to reach out and give her a good 'ole slap on the back. It made me want to-

"Do you mind explaining what's going on, Levi?" My thought process was scattered, with the sound of her voice. Just as purposefully intimidating as always. "Do you mind explaining why there's an idiot dressed up like an angel in my beauty salon?"

Those words alone had caused my entire body to go numb. From the center of my skull, to the fine skin particles of my toes, all sensible sensation was gone. I couldn't comprehend this feeling, nor did I want to experience it again. Levi, my lover; Erwin, my commander; Mikasa, my sister. None of them remembered.

"First of all, he's not an idiot," Levi grumbled, speaking toward my defense. If I hadn't felt so deflated, I probably would have been touched. "Secondly, he's not dressed up. He's a legit angel."

"Yeah, and I'm the freaking tooth fairy," Mikasa spat. Her arms crossed over her chest, causing the edges of her scarf to ruffle. "Tell me the truth, or you're fired."

I didn't have a good lie detector, but Levi must have, with the way he'd seemed absolutely unfazed by her threat. He'd even gone as far as responding with a "pffft" sound, before saying, "Like you'd ever fire me. You know I'm the best damn worker you've ever had. And besides, I'm _telling_ the truth. Don't believe me? Try touching him."

I looked at Levi worriedly. Was this really a good idea? I'd wanted to ask, but my lips refused to move. And Lord knows I wasn't a ventriloquist.

"That's stupid, I'm not doing it," Mikasa protested, her arms only hugging her chest tighter.

"Fine. I'll make him touch you, then."

Without being able to object, Levi grabbed me by the hand and stretched my arm forward. Under any other circumstance, I would have been able to stop and enjoy the feeling. Sadly, this was not the case, as of present. I did note that his hands were particularly smooth for this time of year, though. He must have used moisturizer, or something.

We'd been standing within close enough proximity for the tips of my fingers to just barely phase through one of Mikasa's forearms. Her mortified gasp made my wings flare outward. I didn't want to hear that. Not from Mikasa...

Suddenly, a steel rack filled with a bunch of stuff - it had happened too quickly for me to decipher any of the materials - came toppling over, hitting me on the head and forcing what little room we were standing in to twist into a tango.

Levi cussed, before using the blade of his shoulder to coax the rack back up into its upright position. He was probably thanking his lucky stars that Mikasa was still too shocked to even make it seem like she cared that most of her powdery and pasty make-up supplies were now coating my face and my feathers. It felt gross. It felt _really_ gross.

Everything about the situation was unnerving to me. First of all, I should have been the one protecting Levi, not the other way around, and secondly, because of Mikasa's reaction - which had been a perfectly normal reaction to having an angel's fingers phase through your arm, but still - the floor, as well as my wings, were a mess. Would I even be able to establish flight like this? Probably not.

After all of the initial startle had settled, Mikasa had composed herself enough to whisper, "What the _Hell_ is going on?" And bless his soul, Levi took up the liberty to explain.

"I'll tell you, but I'll only tell you once." He sounded annoyed, and he had every right to be. I'd just made his day a disaster. He jabbed a finger in my general direction. "This is Eren. He's a guardian angel. Scratch that, he's _my_ guardian angel."

"As of...?" Mikasa inquired. "I've never seen you with him before."

"This will go a lot smoother, if you don't interrupt me," Levi sighed, "but he's been with me as of yesterday. He fell out of the sky and landed in front of me, as I was walking. He and I...still haven't discussed what all of that was about yet."

Levi turned to look at me briefly, almost apologetically, while I did the same. I tried to read the meaning behind his gaze, but he was already glancing back to Mikasa.

"You know how guardian angels work, right?" He began to rub the back of his head, but quickly retracted his hand. There was no way he was going to let himself mess up his hair like that. "They follow you around all the time, always making sure that you're safe. It's their job."

"Why is he _here_, though? Can't he wait for you at home, or something?" Apparently, telling Mikasa not to ask questions hadn't completely sunk in.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Levi scoffed, whilst throwing an arm around my shoulders. Just the act in itself had caused my pulse to accelerate.

The look of utter perplexity that Mikasa had given him forced him to add, "Oh, right. I'm the only one who can touch him, apparently. But anyway, he can't be anywhere I'm not. If he is, he won't know if I'm safe or not and it will-"

"It'll make me anxious," I interjected. Both Levi and Mikasa seemed appalled by my outburst, but they allowed me to carry on for myself, Levi especially. "Even when I was still in Maria, just knowing that Levi was here on Earth and I wasn't with him, it turned me into this mindless, robotic...I don't even know how to describe it. All I knew was that I needed to be with him. I needed to make sure he was okay, that he was safe."

This was still news to Levi, and with the way that he blankly stared at me, I almost felt the need to say, "We'll talk more about that later," so I did. He agreed with a simple nod.

Talking to Mikasa, speaking with her as if we were nothing more than strangers, had done wonders to my usually level voice. I began to stammer, unable to control the tempo, as I said, "I didn't mean to be a bother to you, or to your salon. Heck, I was doing a pretty good job of that, before you called us in here. Wasn't I?" I was asking Levi.

"Yeah, you were," he affirmed, and removed his arm from my shoulder. "Actually, if anyone's to blame for the disturbance of the good flow Eren and I had going on there," he batted a challenging eyebrow at Mikasa, "it's you."

Her expression had gone from zero to sixty in two seconds flat, and I was suddenly subjected to the second-hand venom within her voice, as she hissed, "None of this is my fault. You think it's _my_ fault that a freaking guardian angel pops up out of nowhere? In the middle of _my_ salon? That I just so happen to feel _obligated_ to confront said angel and my punk-of-an-employee? This isn't my fault, it's yo-"

"_Please_." Again, I had been the one to interrupt, and again, my voice had been nothing short of despairing. "Please don't argue like this. This whole situation, I know it's confusing for humans to understand, but if you let me stay, I promise I'll be good. You won't even know I'm here, and I won't touch anything, I _promise_."

Mikasa was studying my face, as I spoke. Her eyes traced my mouth to my own set of eyes, and back again. She must have been calculating the sincerity of my plea. It was good to know that such an aspect of her personality hadn't changed, because - save for her outward appearance - it sure felt like everything else had.

My wings slumped against my back. Waiting for her response was like cutting the wires of an active bomb. If I'd cut the right wire, meaning if I'd said the right thing, her reply would be within my favor. Likewise, if I'd cut the wrong wire...

"I have one last question," she said, and her voice had been so quiet that I'd almost misheard her words entirely.

I needed clarity on her statement. "For me, or for Levi?"

Mikasa fit a hand against her hip, shifting her weight toward the left. Her new stance made her look sophisticated, I couldn't deny that. "I doubt Levi will be able to answer it properly, so it's for you."

Levi scoffed at her accusation, and I was pretty sure I heard him mutter something alone the lines of, "I can answer any damn question, whatever, I don't care," beneath his breath.

Trying to look as welcoming as possible, my lips pulled into a small smile. If I was going to be interrogated, I'd better come across as seemingly ready for anything that she threw my way.

"Yes?" I continued to smile. "What is it?"

"Without even hearing it from myself personally, you knew my name," Mikasa whispered. "How did you know it? Did Levi tell you, or have we met somewhere before?"

That was a loaded question, one that was beyond my belief. I swallowed, pondering my answer. I _knew_ the correct answer; in fact, there were quite a few I could go off of. Mikasa, you were my sister. I could never forget your name, we were family, adoptive or not. Don't you remember me? I'm Eren. Eren Yeager. I was your brother. Headstrong and determined, that was me. That had always been me. And you, you were the cool and clear-minded water that suppressed my raging flame. You always knew what to say, and you always had a good tactic or two for calming me down. Most of all, we loved each other. We cared for and supported one another in the most special kind of way.

I took a different, expository approach.

"By answering your question, I'm also going to be answering another question that you haven't exactly asked." I grabbed a second to breathe. These words, they were gonna hurt. "The only reason you can _see_ me is because yes, we have met before. In...in one of my past lives, you and I have crossed paths. That's how I know your name. Levi didn't have to tell me, I already knew it."

Given that her expression hadn't changed at all, not even a fraction, I couldn't tell if Mikasa was absorbing what I was telling her. She appeared to be listening, but the unfazed nature of her eyes said otherwise, so I remained silent. I left the ball in her court. If she wanted to dig deeper, I'd let her. If she wanted more answers, I'd do my best to provide them. However, with a single turn on one of her six-inch stilettos, I understood that the conversation was over.

"Levi," she'd been able to address him, not even bothering to look, "finish up your next appointment and then go home. You'll come in early tomorrow, to make up for your lost time."

I half expected Levi to oppose Mikasa's proposition, but instead, he only shrugged and replied with a mere, "Whatever," before he and I both followed her out of the supply room.

Had the exchange of words gone well? I couldn't say. Did Levi looked pissed? Hell yeah. I really needed to ease some of his stress, and the only way I could do that was by being on my absolute best behavior, even if my wings were visibly and physically disgusting. I'd just have to suck it up and worry about cleaning them later.

Just before Levi and I had rounded the corner and re-entered the parlor, I heard Mikasa call out to me. The sound of my name had almost felt the same, had it not been spoken through devil-kissed lips. I gave her my attention, by glancing over my shoulder. "Yes?"

"I can't curb my curiosity," she admitted, unashamed. I wondered what she was going to ask.

"That's okay," I smiled. "You can ask me anything. I'll try to answer to the best of my ability."

There was a pause, as if she were deliberating. Levi began to tap his foot, but I waited patiently. Even if Mikasa asked the most ridiculous question, which I knew she wouldn't, I'd be happy to answer it. After all, even though she didn't remember me, I still felt blessed for just being able to see her again.

"You and I," she started, testing the organization of her words, "I mean, me and you...what was our relationship? How did we know each other?"

I would have answered everything. I would have answered everything and anything, but for some reason, I couldn't answer that. It wasn't fair, not for me and not for her. There wasn't a need for anyone to feel guilty. There wasn't a need for that at all.

I closed my eyes, slowly inhaling and exhaling, before gazing back over to Mikasa with a solemn smile. I tried to hide my disappointment, I really did, but in the last second, my lips had betrayed me. Figures.

"I think it would be best, for your sake, as well as mine, to leave that unanswered." Faltering, I decided that I didn't want to leave her completely hanging, seeking for a sense of closure. "Just know that you and I, we were a constant in each other's lives, at one point."

* * *

By the time Levi had finished with his appointment, the sun was already making its descent beyond the horizon. I'd always loved that about this time of the year. Having nights of equal, if not more consuming in length had always been so fascinating to me. Besides, there was nothing quite like a snowy sunset.

With my feathers still horribly matted and mussed, there was no way that I'd be able to fly back to the apartment with them. It didn't matter anyway, because as Levi and I left the beauty salon for the evening, he zipped up his jacket and decided, "We're going to McDonald's."

"Really?" I shouldn't have been shocked. With such a tight budget, fast food must have been Levi's go-to meal plan. Not only that, but I scolded myself for forgetting that he still hadn't put anything into his stomach yet today. God, I was horrible. "You must be really hungry..."

He shrugged, shoving his hand into the back pockets of his jeans. What he'd retrieved looked like a dinosaur incarnate to me, but was actually just a really, really, _really_ old cell phone. (Okay, maybe not 90s kind of old, but it was still pretty old.) He brought it to his ear, giving off the vibe that he was having a phone conversation and wasn't just talking to himself. I had to admit, it was pretty clever. "I just want a McFlurry, because I damn well deserve one, don't I?"

I smiled, genuinely this time. It felt really good to be able to do so. "Yeah, you do. Man, I wish I could have one, too. McFlurries are the bomb."

"Why can't you?" he wondered. "Can't you eat?"

"I..." Wait, could I? That was actually a really good question. "You know, I'm actually not sure. I mean, I haven't eaten anything yet, but at the same time, I haven't felt hungry, either." Darnit. I really should have asked Historia or Jean about that. That reminded me...I also had a few things to ask Levi, too.

After we'd entered the nearest McDonald's and Levi ordered his cookies n' cream McFlurry, he and I sat down at one of the plastic booths. I shifted for a good minute or so, trying to situate my wings (which were still bothering me, yes). When I was finally comfortable, he laughed and I yelped. I hadn't intended to, but the noise of it had been so unexpected. Did he really have that much nerve to actually be laughing at_ me_?

"Hey, why are you laughing?" I asked, in a whisper. I realized then that Levi had brought his prehistoric phone back up to his ear. I also realized that, technically, I didn't have to whisper, either.

"When I pretend, I do a damn good job of it," he said softly, stabbing his plastic spoon directly into the center of his ice cream. Scooping out a good balance of both cookie and cream, Levi stuffed the spoon into his mouth, taking a moment to suck on it.

I noticed that he refused to make direct eye contact with me for an extended period of time. He also chuckled at random intervals, too, really living up to his "damn good job" statement.

"So..." I spoke. I tried to think of a conversation piece, so that he wouldn't have to keep laughing aimlessly against his cell phone. I was glad that I'd been able to think of a topic super quickly. In fact, it was the question I'd been meaning to ask him. "Why did you decide to become a hair stylist? Oh, and a make-up artist, too, I guess."

Poking at his McFlurry, Levi scooped up another spoonful of cookie-enriched goodness, before answering me. "The training was easy and the pay was good enough that I figured why the Hell not, you know? Plus, unlike some jobs, I get to keep all of my tips, and if I act the right way, I get some pretty nice ones, too."

"Act," I repeated. He rose an eyebrow at me. "The way you were acting back there, it was all fake, right?"

Levi began to laugh, and this time, I had a feeling that he wasn't pretending. I'd _genuinely_ amused him. "Of _course_, it was an act," he breathed. "What, you think I'm really like that? Yeah, no."

A relieved sigh slipped from my lungs. I'd wanted to believe that Levi hadn't changed much at all, but this afternoon had been a real stir to my definition of him. It was a good thing to hear that among his questionable occupation choice, he was also a wonderful actor.

"Can I ask why you act that way?" I nudged, figuring that he wouldn't mind explaining.

"Oh, you know, it fits the bill, right? Having a flamboyant man doing your hair is a lot less awkward than having a normal, lifeless man do it. Plus, when my customers feel comfortable enough with me, when they feel like they can actually _relate_ to me, I get bigger tips, so..."

I watched him for a while, as he continued to poke at and delve into his McFlurry. Curiosity got the better of me and I looked around the rest of the restaurant, taking in the sights that surrounded us. I saw particular interest in a mother that was breast-feeding a newborn, all the while trying to calm down her fussy four-year old that was going on about how he'd wanted the red Power Ranger toy.

"How do you feel about kids?" Levi's question caught me off guard. He must have seen me staring.

"Kids? Oh, um, they're fine, I guess," I nodded. The two children that I was looking at weren't the best examples, but generally, I liked the idea of children.

"Have you ever had any? You know, in any of your lifetimes?"

Resting my arms on the table between us, I shook my head. "Nope, not ever. I've never lived past the age of seventeen in any of my lifetimes, so kids weren't exactly on the top of my list."

"What, really?" For the first time that night, Levi paid more attention to me than he did his McFlurry.

"Yeah, I'm serious. I have this personal theory that it's because I died at the age of seventeen in my very first life." I shuddered with remembrance. "It's kind of weird, right?"

"Yeah, kind of."

There was another stretch of silence, before we began to converse once more. This time, his topic of choice had been Mikasa.

"So, what's your relation to the devil?" Levi smirked, poking his lips with his spoon. "You wouldn't tell her, but you'll tell me, right? I promise not to relay the message."

I trusted Levi with my heart, but I was a bit wary to get into such a subject. One question would lead to another, I was almost sure of it. Whether or not it would be a question I was comfortable answering, I just didn't know. Whatever. I'd take a gamble.

I waited until he moved his phone from his right ear to his left, before saying, "She was my sister. Well, adoptive sister. But I'm talking a _really_ long time ago. Like, my first lifetime."

"What are we talking here, like, the 1700s?" he scoffed.

I laughed nervously. "Ah, more like the 850s."

Levi nearly choked on a cookie crumb. "_What_? Eren, just how many lifetimes have you lived through?"

I shrugged amusedly. "Oh, I don't know. A _lot_."

"Damn. Just, wow, _damn_." Levi began to scrape his spoon against the bottom of his cup. "Do you remember all of your lifetimes, or just a few of them?"

I thought about that. "Mm, I guess I only remember half as many as I've lived through. I remember my first life and my most recent life the most vividly, though."

"Oh yeah?" I knew a second question was on the way, just from the tone Levi had said that in. "And what lifetime did I appear in?"

It had been such an innocent question, one that could have been answered so simply, too. What lifetime? Oh, sure. I could answer that. It was the heaviness within my heart that permitted me from sounding happy, as I said, "My first. You and I crossed paths in my first lifetime."

Nodding, Levi flicked his spoon against his tongue one last time, before placing it into his empty cup. He wanted to know more. His enticed expression all but screamed the unspoken words. I swallowed.

"If I were to ask you," he started, anticipating my response, "would you tell me what our relationship was like? You and me?"

Maybe I could dodge the question just a little bit longer. Turning it into a distracting game would be nice. Whatever worked, I would try it.

"I don't know," I sneered. "Are you planning on asking me?"

The aura that fell between us was much different than any I'd ever felt before, but for some reason, it was also strangely nostalgic. It reminded me of the times when Levi and I would challenge one another into a controlled argument, one that wasn't entirely real, but pulled from events that weren't entirely fake, either.

Levi switched ears again, skillfully matching my playful nature by lowering his voice. "Of course I am," he murmured.

The fact that he was paying more attention to his phone than to me was killing my buzz - that and my heart was practically pounding out of my chest - but I decided to go along with it.

Thankfully, Levi shot me a glance, before he continued. If I'd been allowed to pin a word to his gaze, captivating seemed to be the only fit that did it justice. "So, what was it, Eren? What was our relationship like?"

In all of my lifetimes, I don't think I could have ever topped myself in the way that I'd handled such situation. My demeanor had been more devilish than angelic, as I eased myself forward - regaining his attention for longer than three seconds, might I add - and carefully whispered the words that would only hurt the both of us in the end.

"I'm not going to tell you, until you remember it for yourself."

* * *

_Hi there! Chappy here! :D_

_Hmm, not exactly as brutal of a cliffhanger this time. However, will Levi remember? Will Eren end up telling him on his own? Oh, we just don't know, now do we?_

_Thank you for taking the time to read, and I hope you've enjoyed!_

_- Chappy_


	9. Breathe

I was told to sit still, as lukewarm bath water was splashed across the lower half of my bare back, as well as the feathered tips of my wings. I couldn't say that I was enjoying myself, but I couldn't exactly own up to entirely hating such an event, either. After all, I was being bathed like a dog, but at least I was being bathed by Levi.

"Lower your right wing," he instructed, before squirting a palmful of puppy shampoo into his hand. On our way back to the apartment, he had called Hange and told him to bring back three bottles of the stuff, leaving it to his imagination as to what they could be needed for.

After doing as I was told, I gazed back at Levi from over my shoulder. "Does it look like it's coming out?" I wondered. It was hard for me to tell. With wet wings that were sopped up with shampoo, it still felt like they were caked with beautifying product.

"Kind of," Levi responded, dipping my wing into the water and lathering it, "but I'm going to have to rinse and repeat a lot. You're fine with sitting in here for a while, right?"

Even though I'd rather not be sitting in a shallow bath for any amount of time, I chose not to put up a fuss and nodded.

"Good."

I knew it wasn't his intention, but as he continued to clean my wings, Levi ended up pulling on one of them a bit harder than was ideal. More of an automatic response than anything else, both wings opened wide and began to flap, while a short gasp was muffled by my hand. If Levi wasn't already exasperated enough that he was spending his Tuesday evening preening an angel's wings, surely he was now.

Almost instantly, his hands stopped what they were doing and retracted themselves from the depths of my feathers. Levi seemed hesitant, when he asked, "...Are you okay?" He paused for the beat of a second, before adding, "What did I do wrong?"

I felt guilty for reacting in the way that I did, but how could I not? Levi should have been used to being delicate around others, especially when cutting their hair and applying their make-up. Then again, he was still new to the concept of angels, pain tolerance included. There was no way I could logically justify being angry with him.

"I'm alright!" I said. "My wings are just a little fragile, so if you wouldn't mind being a bit more gentle, that would be really..."

My mind went foggy and my words lost their passage of delivery, as two hands slid their way up to my shoulders and began kneading at the skin and knotted muscles. I appreciated my reaction, this time around. With my shoulders rolling back and my eyelids beginning to waver, it was difficult to suppress the relieved sigh that had escaped me. "That feels...really good."

"Good," Levi murmured. "It should."

He continued to massage my arms and shoulders for a good ten minutes, before he began bathing me again. He must have seen the slight shudder than crawled up my spine, signaling the water had gone cold, for he began to run the bath water again, this time at a heightened temperature. By the time he turned the faucet off, I was nearly waist deep in the warm mixture of both bubbles and bronzer.

Just as he was about to pull the shower head down to my level and rinse me off, Levi stopped. He appeared to be deep in thought, which prompted me to ask, "What's the matter, Levi?"

He quickly snapped out of his daze. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about something stupid."

He grabbed one of my wings and began hosing me down, but I wasn't ready to let the conversation end there. "What were you thinking about? You can tell me anything."

He was probably shaking his head at me, because he replied, "Really, it was stupid. I don't want to say it."

I really wished that I hadn't been seated in a forty-eight by thirty-two inch bathtub, otherwise I would have turned around to see what kind of face Levi was making. Trying to sneak a peek at him from over my shoulder just wasn't cutting it.

What if what Levi was thinking about was something that was seriously bothering him? What if it was a mental ailment he'd been dealing with from long before I'd arrived? Was he okay? What he healthy? To me, he appeared to be both, but of course, that was just on the surface. I knew that sometimes, problems went to much deeper, much darker places.

I'd gone and made myself anxious.

"Levi, please tell me," I almost begged. I was forced to bite my tongue.

I heard him sigh in defeat. Setting the shower head aside, letting the gentle spray of the water hit against my knee, Levi rested his elbows on the side of the tub. He mindlessly played with a few feathers that floated along the surface of the water, poking at them and pushing them forward. "I was thinking about you," he finally admitted. "You and me, actually."

"You and me?" My heart started to pound, but I needed clarification. "What were you thinking?"

He pressed one of the feathers down so that it just barely dipped beneath the water, but the second he released his finger, it defiantly popped right back up. Inhaling, he composed himself enough to say, "I was thinking about what you said back in McDonald's. How you said that you wouldn't tell me what our relationship was like, until I'm able remember it. For all I know, we could have been brothers, best friends. We could have been anything, really."

It was a test of my own control, when I cracked a smile and teasingly asked, "Even lovers?"

My breath had nearly left me when Levi plucked up one of the floating feathers, rolled it between his thumb and his index, and said, "It's possible. Like I said, we could have been anything. You're the only one that knows what we were, though."

That wasn't true. I wasn't the only one. Hange knew. Be it that he was referred to as "Hanji" during the time, his memories were no less distant, no less distorted than my own.

I hadn't been expecting the conversation to change so suddenly, but when Levi switched gears and asked me if I was ready to be rinsed, I said that I was and allowed my wings to relax against my shoulders.

The water felt nice, as it rained against my back, but when it coated my feathers, the barbs began to absorb the excessive amount of moisture, causing my shoulders to cave from the extra weight. Breathing a silent prayer when Levi had finally finished, he told me to stand up so that he could wrap a towel around my waist.

"Want me to wrap it like a diaper?" he smirked.

"Haha, very funny," I mumbled, rising into a stand. It was a good thing that Levi had said that, otherwise I would have been too distracted by the fact that I was naked to even think about moving. I mean, sure, Levi had no problem being naked around me, and I had no problem _seeing_ him naked, no, of course not, but when _I_ was the one who was in the nude, it was an entirely different agenda.

As he tied a terrycloth towel around my hips, it brought me back to the first time we'd seen each other's skin. I remembered asking him before touching him, the way he watched my every move. I remembered how his eyes traced my fingers, moving with them as they trailed up the length of his arm. I had been nervous. He told me to breathe, and I did. We both breathed. We were alive.

Stepping out of the bathtub, it was with a mighty sense of self-control that I refrained from flapping my wings dry. I noticed that Levi was reaching under the sink to grab what looked like a hairdryer, so I could only assume that it would be used for my wings. Plus, shaking them out would more than likely end with the entire bathroom in a puddle of bath water and loose feathers.

In Levi's bedroom, I sat crisscross applesauce (I blame my mother for that silly saying. She used to say it all the time to the older children at the daycare) while he pushed his nightstand aside. Exposing an empty socket, Levi plugged in the hairdryer and beckoned me to come closer. After I did, he turned it on and began drying my wings.

"Ahh..." My head fell back and my eyes slipped closed.

"Oh, does that feel good?" By his tone, I could tell that Levi seemed genuinely amused by my reaction.

I nodded. "It feels _so_ good. Do you think you can turn the air speed any higher?"

"Yeah, give me a second." Levi fussed around with the controls of the hairdryer, when suddenly a gust of hot air began to ruffle my feathers. I was immediately telling him to turn it back down.

"That was intense," I laughed lightly. "Do you ever blow dry your hair like that?"

Levi flattened out a small clump of my feathers, and said, "What, on turbo? God, no. I'd ruin my hair. Actually, every human being on the face of this Earth would ruin their hair. I don't even know why they have that level of speed available for people to mess around with. It's like a trap for stupid people." He faltered for a moment. "Does it still feel good?"

"Yeah, it really does," I smiled. "You know, I can understand why Bentley hated baths now."

"Who's Bentley?" he inquired. "An old dog of yours?"

"Yup. I had him a few lifetimes ago. He was a shepherd mix, so he loved to roll around in the grass and get dirty. Oh, but he hated baths. Like, absolutely _loathed_ them. My dad and I would have to soap him up as much as we could and spray him down with the garden hose, in the summer. But, you know, as much as he hated baths, he simply _adored_ getting to feel the heat of the blowdryer afterwards. It was almost as rewarding as dog treats, to him."

"So, what you're saying is, you hated that bath just now."

I was able to see the snarky smile that lined Levi's lips, and it was enough to make my cheeks flush red. I had to look away. "Well! I mean, yeah, kind of, but you know, it was _kind _of okay. Like, I didn't _entirely_ hate it. Not all of it."

"Yeah, of course," he said. "You like the hairdryer at the end."

When he'd finished with my left wing, I heard him shift around a bit, before he started working on my right. He paused for a bit, and it almost sounded like he had been looking through one of the drawers in his nightstand.

"Did you need to get something?" I questioned.

"Yeah, actually, could you hold on for a minute?" After I gave a quick nod, Levi handed me the hairdryer. Before I knew it, he was on his feet and was walking out of his bedroom.

Now that I had the chance to get a better look at the hairdryer, I could determine a few things. First of all, it was a burnt orange color, probably the model of Levi's choosing. Secondly, it had a thin tip, one that was clearly used for styling hair. Paired with a comb, I could only imagine the crazy kinds of hairdos people could pull off with that thing. Lastly, there was the speed dial. It had three settings: slow, medium, and turbo. Just for the heck of it, I held the dryer up to my face and switched it to turbo.

The powerful gust of hot air startled me, but the soft chuckle that came from the doorway was enough to make me jump. I quickly turned the setting back down to medium. "Hange?"

"Good evening, mate!" he greeted, still chuckling as he stepped into Levi's bedroom. "How was your bath?"

"Awful," I answered honestly. "It was really, really bad."

Sitting in front of me in the same, crisscross way that I was seated, making it appear like we were about to share campfire stories, Hange latched his hands onto the both of his ankles and began rocking back and forth. "I hear you there," he smiled. "Most of the dogs that I groom hate getting bathed, too. You know, not saying that you're a dog, or anything."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. Just before you came in here, I was actually comparing myself to an old dog of mine. His name was Bentley."

"Aw! That's a cute name!" Hange cooed. "What breed was he?"

"A shepherd mix. He was a pound dog that we had rescued."

Hange seemed to like the sound of that. "Good, good. I always like to hear it when dogs are rescued from shelters and pounds alike. They're the ones that are in need of the most love, you know?"

"Yeah, I agree."

I was grateful that, at just the right moment, I remembered that I had something very important that I needed to tell Hange. Hopefully, we'd be able to discuss my little "issue" before Levi came back.

Lifting my head, I made direct eye contact with him, and asked, "Hange, can I tell you about something that happened last night?"

Hange's excitable attitude died down slightly, as he gave me his full attention. "Go for it, Eren. What's up?"

The communicative aura between us was highly nostalgic, only this time, we weren't talking about Titans or shifters, but rather, we were discussing a more personal topic. "It's Levi. It's something that said in his sleep."

"In his sleep?" Hange tilted his head to the side curiously. "What did he say?"

Nerves began to bundle in my stomach, shooting shocks of sheepishness throughout my veins. Hange had known about my relationship with Levi, I knew that, but it never made talking about those sorts of things any less awkward. However, if this tidbit of information was a step closer to having Levi remember his past, it was a hop, skip, or jump that I was willing to take.

"He said," I began, trying to keep my voice relatively low, "he said, 'I love you, Eren.' Just like that."

With wide eyes, Hange pushed up his glasses. "Whoa, seriously?" He kept his voice just as low as mine. "Are you sure it was him?"

"I couldn't have been anyone else, Hange. We were the only ones present. Just him and me."

"Wow, wow, wow. Like, _wow_." Now, Hange was on his feet, pacing back and forth pensively. "Was he dreaming? Did he say anything else? Did he try to do anything to you? Are you _sure_ he was asleep?"

Hange had asked me too many questions to mentally process in one go. Fidgeting, I did my very best to respond adequately. "Uh, yeah, I'm pretty sure he was dreaming. No, he didn't say anything else. He didn't do anything to me; I was all the way at the other side of his bed, and yeah, I'm pretty sure he was asleep. He was really tired. We both were, actually."

Nodding at each of my answers, Hange stopped pacing and sat down on the edge of Levi's bed. I had a feeling that Levi wouldn't like the idea of that if he were to see it for himself, but it wasn't like I had any right to tell Hange what he should or shouldn't be doing. It just wasn't my place. Also, if I knew Hange like I had known Hanji, there was a good chance that he really wouldn't care whether or not his actions would annoy Levi. Sometimes, I felt like he did silly things just for spite.

With my nerves beginning to resurface, my wings began to flutter. My left wing flapped at a considerably quicker speed than my right - given that it was completely dry - while my other was still waiting on Levi for him to come back and continue. Then again, where was Levi? He'd been gone for quite some time. Was he okay? He didn't slip and fall did he? After all, my wings must have left a slippery trail from the bathroom to his bedroom. He was smart enough to watch his step, right?

Okay, maybe I was getting nervous over more things than I'd originally anticipated.

"Hange," I spoke softly, settling my wings against my back, "what do you think it means?"

"You're talking about what Levi said, right?" I nodded. Shrugging his shoulders, he sighed slowly. "You know, Eren, it's really hard to say. It could mean lots of things. I'd like to think that he's starting to remember the past, and I'm sure you feel the same way, but right now, it's really difficult to make any sort of conclusion on this type of matter."

My deflated expression must have prompted Hange to add, "But don't worry! I'm sure he'll remember soon enough. I'm still holding out for Erwin to remember, too."

Yes, that was right. Levi wasn't the only one who was left in the dark about the past. And the more that I thought about it, neither was Erwin. "Oh, Hange!" I said quickly. "Did you know that Levi's boss is Mikasa?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I knew that. I'm very sorry, Eren..." From that alone, I knew that he must have tried having a conversation with her in a past encounter. Without him having to say anything else, I could already tell that it had led him down the same route that it had taken me. "In your case, it's even more upsetting. You two were-"

"Yeah, I know..." I hadn't meant to interrupt him, but I'm almost certain that he understood where I was coming from. I didn't need to hear it twice.

"And you and Levi, " Hange murmured. "It must be tough. I must be really, really tough."

I bit my lip, holding back the words that I knew would only leave a sour taste on my palate. It was tough, _very _tough. As much as I was grateful to be with Levi again, taking over the role of the protector instead of the protected, it still hurt knowing that I carried the burden of our prior relationship alone. No one was at fault of this, of course. It wasn't like I could be angry with Levi for his lack of memories. Maybe he _did_ have them in one of his past lives. Maybe he'd spent the entirety of it searching _just_ for me. It was sad to say it, but that was merely the cycle of life. However, these false hopes were what had lightened my mood enough to be able to respond to Hange.

"It's different," I said, taking the opposite direction of where my mind was telling me to go, "but I'll make the best of it. I'm here to guard and protect Levi as he currently is, not wallow and sulk around about the past that we used to share." Looking to my lap, my fingers began to squeeze against the handle of the hairdryer, still blowing lightly against my thigh. "And even if he doesn't remember, I can't bring myself to be upset over it." I squeezed harder. "I'll...I'll always love him. No matter what."

I could tell that Hange was about to try and rest his hand against my shoulder, before he remembered that such a thing was impossible for him. He chuckled softly, while I shifted my legs, hoping to ease some of the embarrassment that was, by no doubt, still lingering on both of our outward expressions.

My heart skipped a beat, when Levi had finally returned. In my haste, I jumped to my feet and dropped the hairdryer. Not only that, but the towel that had been wrapped around my waist came loose. It fell straight to my ankles. If my face wasn't red enough before, surely it was now.

"My, my, my, Eren!" Hange smiled. "You sure do love being around Levi, huh?"

I was already bending over to retrieve my towel, by the time he had said that. God, I was so embarrassed. After everything that Hange and I had just finished talking about, too. It was like the world was putting a big, fat cherry on the very tippy-top of my cupcake of catastrophe.

"Stop bullying him, Hange," Levi said, throwing him a sideways glare. "And get out of my room. You're going to get it dirty."

"What?!" He seemed offended. "How am I going to get it dirty?! I'm not even doing anything! And I was being so good, too! Eren and I were simply having a nice conversation, weren't we, Eren?"

I didn't want to be dragged into the middle of their feud, and luckily, I didn't have to be. Levi had come to my defense.

"Don't bring Eren into this," he advised. Reaching beside my foot to grab the fallen hairdryer, Levi picked it up and held it to Hange's face, much like a victim at gunpoint. "Now get out." He switched it to turbo.

Hange was flailing at the air and rushing out of the room, before I even got the chance to thank him for our conversation. Nothing had really been accomplished because of it, but it did give me peace of mind to know that there was still a sliver, even if it was just a tiny inkling of hope that Levi had the ability to recollect his past.

With the towel tied back around my hips, Levi asked me to sit down so that he could finish drying off my other wing. I was still curious as to where he had disappeared to, and there was nothing there to stop me from asking, "Where were you, Levi? What did you need?"

All I had to do was blink, before a bottle of hand lotion appeared before my eyes. Well, that had answered one of my questions, but now I was forced to ask another. "What do you need that for? Are you hands feeling dry?"

He lifted the bottle back over my head and squeezed a small amount of the citrusy-smelling blend into one of his hands. I'd been so used to the warm air blowing against my back from the hairdryer that when I'd felt Levi's hand rubbing the cold lotion between the small junction of skin that separated my wings, I had to physically stop myself from reacting over dramatically.

"That's cold!" I yelped. I still didn't understand why he was putting lotion on my back, either. "What are you doing?"

"Your skin is so ridiculously delicate that it was starting to dry out from all of the warm air," Levi explained, continuing to alternate between rubbing in the lotion, as well as drying off my right wing.

I felt touched, because of Levi's kind gesture. He'd gone out of his way to find lotion, just so that it would be of benefit me. I wanted to thank him, I also wanted to hug him, but by the time I'd mustered up the courage to do the prior, Levi was already speaking once again.

What he'd said caused my eyes to widen with fear.

"What did Hange mean, when he said that it must be really tough? What was he talking about?"

I didn't want to show it, but I was beginning to panic. Levi had heard that? What else did he hear? He didn't hear me, when I'd said that I'd always love him, did he? What about my thoughts? He didn't hear those, right? Oh, wait. Those were _my_ thoughts. No one else could hear those, accept for me. Duh.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied nervously. Bad mistake, on my part. Levi could sense my hesitance.

"Yeah, you do," he persisted. "You and Hange were talking about me."

"Levi, I'd rather not-"

"What did you mean, when you said that you'd always love me?"

Crap. So, he did hear that.

Like clockwork, Levi had finished drying my wing. With the hairdryer turned off, the silence that cut through the room was almost suffocating. I wanted to gasp for air, but somehow, I knew that even with lungs full of blended oxygen, it wouldn't be nearly enough to curb my feeling of compression.

"Levi," I whispered, doing my best to keep my voice steady, "I think it would be best if you forget everything that you just heard. Until you're able to regain the memories for yourself, what you just overheard will only serve to confuse you."

"Hange remembers." It was a statement, not a question.

"...That's something you need to discuss with him, Levi."

He didn't quit. "Hange _knows_ who you are."

I didn't respond, but I let him continue.

"He also knows what our relation to one another was, doesn't he?"

Silence. Uncomfortable silence. Nothing like the silence that he and I used to relish in, after a long day of training. I couldn't respond. I couldn't speak. I couldn't do anything, but breathe.

The silence was altered, by the gentle sound of jean material rubbing together. Levi was standing up, moving to unplug the hairdryer from its socket and set it aside on his nightstand. Neither of us spoke. Neither of us admitted that it was awkward.

Not surprisingly, it wasn't before long that I was apologizing. "I'm sorry." They were they only words that seemed to fit into the jigsaw-puzzle-of-a-situation that we were in.

"Don't apologize," he said, nearly inaudibly. "I shouldn't have pestered you like that. You've already told me that you won't give me any answers, until I start remembering things for myself. If anyone should be saying that they're sorry, it should be me."

No, I wouldn't be having any of that. None of this put Levi at fault, so he had absolutely no reason to apologize for anything.

"You don't have to apologize, Levi. Really, I'm the one who's sorry."

As Levi came back into view, I found myself looking up at him. It was strange to say it, but with the way that he'd lifted one of his eyebrows in an amused manner, somehow, all of the tension that had built up like a brick wall between us came crumbling down.

"Are we going to apologize like this to each other all night, or are we going to let bygones be bygones and just forget about all of this?"

I liked the sound of that. Letting bygones be bygones. Yeah, that would work.

"Bygones," I said, a small smile forming on my lips.

I was more than elated to see that Levi mimicked my expression, showing me a small smile of his own. "Good," he stated, holding out a hand that I presumed was for me to take. "Now, let's find you something else to wear."

It took a good fifteen minutes or so, before Levi had found a pair of flannel pajamas that were too large on him. They were perfect for me, and not only that, but the top was a snazzy button up. In order for my wings to sit comfortably within the top, Levi suggested that I just wear the shirt on backwards and that he'd only fasten half of the buttons. His trick had worked like a charm, and by the time we were both comfy and cozy, ready to go to sleep, it was nearing midnight.

"Thank you for cleaning my wings," I said, climbing onto the edge of Levi's bed.

"Don't mention it. You were an eyesore," he snickered.

"That's rude."

"That's me."

After he crawled under his covers and turned off his bedside lamp, Levi had said, "Goodnight, Eren," an endearment that I'd reciprocated, before he was soon after consumed by his fatigue.

I, however, had some difficulty falling asleep. It wasn't because I wasn't tired, no, I was _exhausted_. I think it may have had something to do with the fact that I had gotten so used to the idea of watching over Levi constantly that the thought of being away from him for just one second, even if it was through our own unconsciousness, was one second too much.

When I heard Levi's bedsheets begin to ruffle, I wondered if he was waking up. Maybe he forgot to use the bathroom one last time, or maybe he needed a glass of water. "Levi, are you awake?"

"You're...going to be okay...mmph."

I froze.

"Damnit, Eren...!"

That was my name.

"...You're going to...to make it out of this mess alive...do you...do you..."

I finished the words for him, and after many centuries of not being able to give him the response that he had undoubtedly desired, I softly whispered, "Yes, Levi. I hear you."

* * *

_Hi there! Chappy here! :D_

_I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Even if you don't celebrate, I still hope that you had a lovely holiday week. (:_

_Think of this extra long chapter (4,800+ words, wow) as my Christmas gift to all of you! You guys are so lovely, and the reviews that you give me really make my day, so thank you very much for taking the time out of yours to do so! (:_

_I really hope that you've enjoyed this chapter! Can you believe that the next chapter will be chapter 10 already? I can't. It's crazy._

_- Chappy_


	10. Mind Reader

"Wake up."

It was the first thing I heard upon rising, mostly because it was the only thing that had officially _caused_ me to rise. When had I fallen asleep, and for how long? After hearing Levi relay his dream through muffled nonsense, I remembered not being able to settle down for a good portion of the night. Given that I was just waking up now, I guess I must have actually rested for a bit.

"I said _wake up_."

This time, I felt a hand hesitantly brush along my feathers. It must have been an attempt to coax me out of my slumber, an attempt that was very successful.

As my wings stretched open and my surroundings became visible, I could only wonder what time it was. Those darn black-out curtains sure had a way of messing with my head. Why didn't Levi ever pull them back? Wouldn't letting a fraction of light into his room do him some good? It felt like it was too early to be thinking so much.

"Alright, now that you're awake, get up."

Levi was rounding, rather, he was pacing the side of his bed irritably. What was the matter with him? He looked very upset, something that I did not appreciate in the slightest.

With a large yawn, I obeyed his request and climbed off of his bed. Did I dare ask him any questions? Actually, yeah, I did. "What are you doing, Levi? And by the way, what time is it?"

He was in some higher state of zen, when he responded, "It's 6:03AM, three minutes later than I usually start, and I'm trying to make my bed."

Three minutes later than he usually started? What was he talking about? I wanted to know, but I also did not want to break his focus.

As Levi straightened his bedsheets, I observed him extra curiously. Somehow, he had managed to wake up and get dressed without my knowledge, an idea that didn't sit well with me at all. I was supposed to guard him at all times, but my body had an annoying way of forcing me into fatigue. If only I had the capability of staying awake to watch him sleep all night long. That would have been...nice.

"Excuse me," Levi said, bringing me back from my daze.

"Oh! Sorry," I quickly apologized. I shifted to my right, so he could pass by. "Do you always have to make your bed this early? I thought you liked to sleep in. We did it yesterday."

"Yesterday was Tuesday," he responded certainly. "Today is Wednesday."

Well, yeah, that was true, but why the strange phrasing?

"Are Wednesdays special, or something?" I wondered, having a feeling that he mentioned something about the day before.

Fluffing one of his pillows and propping it proudly against the headboard of his bed, Levi turned his gaze toward me, and said, "Yeah. Wednesday is cleaning day."

Oh, that was right! I could vaguely remember it, but Levi had definitely said something about cleaning the apartment on Wednesdays before. I hadn't realized that he started such a thing so early, though. Did it really take him that long to do everything?

Smiling, I questioned, "Is there anything I can do to help?" If there was anything that would lessen Levi's work load, I would be more than happy to provide my services. Wait, my services? I wasn't a maid. Even Levi had told me that I wasn't a maid. I really had to stop acting like one.

"Uh...?" From just his tone alone, I could tell that cleaning was something he'd much rather do on his own. Still, it didn't hurt to offer, right?

"I mean, I can help you fold clothes, or maybe dust the places that are too high for you to-"

Oh, crap.

Levi's greyish eyes narrowed vehemently, acquiring the very same, deathly glare that had soldiers cringing in terror since the 850s. I swallowed. No, it was more of a gulp. Whatever it was, it was in fear.

"What are you getting at, Eren?" he spoke lowly, questioningly. "Are you trying to say something about my height?"

As per normal, my wings began to flutter. Good thing it was cleaning day, because small, fluffy under feathers began to fall delicately to the floor. The "shedding" must have been caused by my bath last night. Wow, I really _was_ like a dog.

"Of c-course not!" I stammered. Honestly, his height hadn't even...okay, that's a lie. It did come to mind, but that's not why I had said it.

Okay, maybe that was a lie, too.

Levi's lie detector must have been on top of its mark, because the look of absolute I'm-not-buying-what-you're-selling on his face was enough to tell me just that. He didn't believe me. Regardless, he proceeded to ask, "What were you trying to get at, then?"

I hated being put on the spot. "I was, I just, I mean...you know?" I really hated being put on the spot.

Levi sighed and ran a hand through his hair, combing back his fringe. He shook his head. "Forget it. Forget what I said. Just, just come with me."

As Levi stalked out of his bedroom, I stalked right behind him.

The apartment was dark and quiet, allowing me to wonder if either Hange or Erwin were even awake yet. I didn't know Hange's work schedule, so for all I knew, he could have had the day off. As for Erwin, he must have had classes later in the afternoon.

"Hange and Erwin are both still sleeping, yes."

"Okay, are you a mind reader, because if you are, I-"

Levi interrupted my frantic fit with the sound of his soft chuckling. "I'm not a mind reader. I'm just good at reading people. You were looking around kind of longingly, so I figured you must have been searching for them. Like I said, though, they're sleeping. Erwin has class at noon, and Hange is working the night shift." I followed him into the kitchen, as he continued to say, "With the both of them in their rooms and out of my way, Wednesdays are perfect for getting all of the house chores done."

"So, what do you do?" As he approached the sink, I saw him turn on the faucet and slip on a pair of gaudy, yellow cleaning gloves. Honestly, I thought those things only existed in retro cartoons and daytime TV commercials.

Pointing to the mountain of plates and plastic soup cartons, he replied, "I usually start with the dishes. It's the most annoying task, because it takes forever and I'm the only one around here who does them. From here, I usually move on to the bathroom." Grabbing one of the plates, Levi began to scrub its surface with a thick dish sponge. "Because of your bath last night, I can only imagine how much extra cleaning it will need."

It was like my wings had a mind of their own, when they slumped guiltily against my back. Then again, as the tips of my feathers brushed against something soft instead of against my skin, I soon realized that I was still wearing Levi's pajamas. I must have looked as dorky as I felt, given that the top was buttoned up backwards.

Just before I had the chance to apologize, Levi reached for another plate, and said, "Look, I'm not a mind reader, I swear, but I can tell that you're probably a breath away from apologizing, so don't. It wasn't your fault. It was the devil's fault for startling you."

Now that I knew Levi's boss was Mikasa, I had to admit that I really disliked it whenever he referred to her as "the devil". I mean, sure, she was a lot different from how she used to be, but she wasn't anywhere close to being a devil. Maybe it was another angel thing, but the mention of an evil entity made my skin crawl and my muscles twitch.

"I shouldn't have called her that. I'm sorry."

My head shot up, and I was instantly granted with Levi's trained gaze. He was looking at me from over his shoulder, his hands still diligently scrubbing at a pesky patch of dried ketchup. The expression of disbelief that I must have been giving him caused him to quickly add, "I'm not a mind reader."

"How do you always know what I'm thinking, then?!" I cried, in my defense. It was like he was working his way into my brain and viewing all of my thoughts. Otherwise, how did he always know what to say? Why were all of his responses exactly what I wanted to hear?

After resting a wooden spoon onto a drying rack, Levi sighed and turned off the faucet for the time being. He removed his gloves and slowly spun around to face me completely. With his hip resting against the counter, he answered, "You know, I said that I'm pretty good at reading people, but it's like you're especially easy to read. For whatever reason, I understand you, and I understand what effects you. Me calling Mikasa a devil, I could tell that it hurt your feelings. After all, she used to be your sister. It was pretty low of me, and I'm sorry."

Stunned beyond words, I could only nod in return. I was horribly overwhelmed. The way in which Levi had spoken to me - what he had said, rather - was like a dip into the past. The Levi that used to love me, he always knew whenever something was amiss in my behavior.

I reminisced over the way that he used to stroke my cheek, coaxing the words of my worries from my lips. Even if my fears were trivial, even if they were childish and unnecessary, Levi was right there, telling me everything that I wanted, no, _needed_ to hear. He _understood_ me.

"...Eren?"

"Sorry!" I jumped, forcing myself out of my moment of nostalgia.

Levi quirked one of his eyebrows at me. "You know, it's kind of strange to apologize to the person who's apologizing to you."

He had a point. "I know, I know. I'm apologizing, because I kind of zoned out for a second. But yeah, no, you don't have to apologize. I mean, I don't want you feeling like you should have to filter your vocabulary, just so that I'm more comfortable."

"Actually, that's exactly _why_ I have to do it." I was confused. Of course, he knew that right away, too. "If you're going to be a part of my life for as long as I'm still around, I don't want you to have to feel like you're forcing yourself to be with me. I want it to be natural. Actually, I want our entire relationship to be natural."

"But I'm not forcing myself!" I protested quickly, my wings aflutter. "I'm not forcing myself at all! Levi, I love-" Freeze. Stop right there. With my heart all but pounding out of my chest, I was able to change, albeit sloppily, the direction of my phrase. "...Being around you! I love being around you!"

There was no sense in trying to calm my rapidly beating heart, because now, it had an entirely new reason to race.

With agonizingly slow steps, Levi began to walk toward me. From the time he had turned around, his eyes had never once left sight of my own. Whether I was flattered or troubled by that, I really couldn't tell.

When his lips parted with the signal of speech, I'm pretty sure my heart, the very same heart that was running a marathon, skipped for a fraction of a beat.

"Was that really what you were going to say?" Levi murmured, his voice so low, so predatory that my instincts were telling me to take a step back.

I went against them, and remained still.

"What do you mean?" I smiled nervously. It was my failed attempt of trying to play off my paranoia.

Another step, another skip of a beat.

"Just now," Levi said, not daring to speak above a whisper, "were you really going to say that you loved being around me, or did you want to say something else?"

I couldn't lie. There was no point to it. Not only did it leave me with an awful taste in my mouth, but I generally hated the idea of lies.

Still, silence was not the same as a lie. It was in that neutral, in between area that didn't quite qualify it as being a lie, but didn't exactly make it the truth, either. In a circumstance such as this, it was my only option.

My eyes studied Levi's face, before they switched gears and began to study the floor. The black and white tiles that lined our toes looked recently polished. A week's worth of feet must have walked across them, and the tiles still boasted a brilliant shine. Then again, that was the product of Levi's standard method of cleaning. Of course they still looked amazing. If he didn't settle for less in the past, there was no way he would settle for less now.

It was far beyond my expectation, when I felt rough skin delicately grace the side of my face. My initial reaction was to jerk away, but my better judgment warned me not to. There was nothing to be afraid of, especially since those slim, familiar fingers were what guided my eyes into Levi's direct line of vision. He was looking at me, and I was looking at him, utterly speechless.

"You heard me, didn't you, Eren?"

My body betrayed my mind, as I nodded. I could answer that much, because after all, I _did_ hear him.

I felt Levi's grasp tighten around my chin. It wasn't an act of dominance; he was merely letting me know that he had no intention of letting me go, until he received a verbal response. "I'm not asking you to tell me what you were going to say, Eren," he breathed, a statement that allowed me to relax, if only just the slightest bit, "but I am asking you to tell me the truth. Were you about to say something else?"

There was nothing to lose, right?

Levi wasn't dumb. Obviously, he'd be able to place two and two together, and calculate what had nearly left my mouth. I'd practically blurted out everything, but one word.

The bob of my Adam's apple signified that I wasn't entirely at ease, but with a steady stance and prominently piqued wings, I whispered, "...Yes. Yes, I was." Did I regret my choice? Hardly. Levi was already releasing me from his grip and turning away.

Now that he had resumed washing the dishes, I was left to my own devices, which were better known as those pesky things called "my thoughts". Even though his hand was long gone, the sensation of his touch lingered. Those hands, they weren't as calloused as I remembered. Still rough, yes, but not as rugged. In fact, the heel of his palm had been so soft, just thinking about it made my cheeks flush. If only his hands remembered the feeling of my skin, as much as mine remembered the feeling of his...

Before I had the chance to crawl into the deeper, more intimate crevices of my mind, a dish towel had been flung my way, landing directly on my face.

"Hey!" I shouted. I pulled it off, and quickly shook my head. "What was that for?"

"Toss it back," Levi said, readying his arm for the catch.

I threw it back to him, but he still hadn't answered my question. "What was that _for_?" I repeated.

Picking up a cereal bowl, he shrugged and began drying it. "You were spacing out. Your face got all red, and I was pretty sure you were about to explode, so I tried to knock you out of whatever daydream you were having. Looks like it worked."

Well, that was embarrassing. Whatever the case, I dared myself to move closer to Levi. It was kind of odd how he was all the way over at the sink, and I was just standing in the middle of the kitchen, fantasizing about our past. It made me feel like some sort of creep.

"Weird," I laughed awkwardly. "I wonder why that happened." Thankfully, he didn't proceed to question my peculiar behavior. He simply stepped aside, as I moved in beside him.

Just as I was about to offer a helping hand, my attention was immediately drawn elsewhere. Clearly, Levi's was, too.

"Whoa..."

Levi was looking over his shoulder, mesmerized by the fact that the span of my wing was wide enough to encompass his entire back, with room to spare. I watched his eyes dance along my feathers, studying their color and just barely giving into the temptation of touching them. I didn't see any problem with that. After all, he spent most of last night washing and drying them. He deserved to feel them at their best.

"Go ahead," I prompted, with a smile. "You can touch them. I don't mind."

I trusted that Levi would be gentle with me. There was absolutely no reason for me to fear otherwise. If this morning served as any indication, when he'd stroked his hand across my wings in a manner so lightly, I was more than ready to feel that tender touch again.

When he lifted his hand to my right wing, I caught a glimpse of Levi's eyes. He looked as if he wanted to ask for my approval - which I'd already given to him - before he physically touched me. That wouldn't do. Not for me.

I reached for his hand with the both of my own. At first, I was a bit taken by how cold it was. Hadn't he been washing the dishes just a second ago? Surely he wasn't using cold water for that.

Reminded of the way in which I'd warmed up his hands before, I carefully blew against the surface of his palm, cascading his skin in the fragile warmth that only_ I _could provide.

"This feels familiar," Levi said, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. He flexed his fingers within my hold.

I couldn't have agreed more. "It does, doesn't it?"

As I was guiding his hand to my wing, I was able to realize the volume behind the words we had just spoken to each other. A sense of familiarity; we had established one. It wasn't the same as the familiarity we used to share, but we were starting. This was our beginning, and I was excited.

"I can't get over how soft they are," Levi breathed. As his hand caressed the natural curve of my wing, he looked to me for what I assumed to be a reaction, a response of some sort.

"I don't know if I should say 'thank you' or 'I can't get over it, either'," I chuckled. "It's still kind of mind blowing to me, too."

"I bet." He fed his fingers through the edges of my feathers, tracing their shape. "They're pretty."

My wings began to fluff against his touch. "...Pretty?"

Levi rose an eyebrow at me. "Well, what did you want me to call them? Manly?"

"Um, yeah?" I wasn't being serious. My unsuppressed snicker blew my cover, not like I really _had _one to begin with.

Playfully shoving my shoulder, Levi turned around and finished drying the dishes. I wanted to help, I really did, but I knew he would disregard my offer. He was independent, and I would allow him to indulge that. However, when he started to reach for a shelf that was just beyond his range, I knew it was time to step in.

"You know, Levi," I tried, but he instantly cut me off.

"No. Nope. Don't even."

I huffed. Was he really going to do this? "But, Levi-"

"I said don't, Eren." His tone was venomous, bone-chilling even. Where had our pleasant atmosphere gone?

I decided to give him some space, even though something from within was telling me to stay close. It was a sensation unlike any other, far more potent than my desire to be by Levi's side at all times. This feeling was different. It felt...dangerous.

It took less than a second for me to figure out why.

Just as Levi was propping himself onto the counter, plate in hand, attempting to avoid the dish rack, he somehow managed to forget that near your standard drying rack, things were a little...wet.

Everything happened so quickly that it was hard to understand the event. All I knew was that one moment, Levi was perfectly fine, climbing up the side of the countertop, and the next, I was huddled over him on the floor, capturing him in my arms, and protecting him from broken shards of glass.

My wings had circled him like an umbrella, while my arms tightened and held him close to my chest. Had I overreacted? I couldn't say for sure. Although, one thing that I _could_ say was that Levi was visibly shaken up.

"Did that...really just happen?" he questioned, disbelief painting his face.

"I...I think so," I replied, quite possibly just as shocked as he was. Taking in our surroundings, I was able to determine what had caused Levi's chain reaction of catastrophe. First of all, the counter was soaking wet. During the transfer from the sink to the drying rack, the dishes must have ended up carrying along a decent amount of water with them. Secondly, from the way that the dish rack looked like it had been pushed forward, I could only theorize that Levi had pressed either his palm or his knee too forcefully against the counter, causing him slip. In his haste to steady himself, the shards of thick glass that coated both the counter and the floor suggested that he must have dropped the plate. I guess that's where I came in.

My body had reacted purely on impulse, and besides the circumstance, it was almost invigorating to realize that _I_ had been the one to catch Levi. _I _had been the one to protect him. No one else had done that. That act of adrenaline was entirely on me.

Helping him to his feet, I apologized for startling him so thoroughly. It wasn't a second after the "sorry" had left my lips that his hand was covering my mouth.

"Are you _really_ apologizing for what you just did, Eren?"

Well, considering that I had just said that I was sorry, a nod of my head seemed to be appropriate.

"You're apologizing for doing your _job_?"

Wait. Wait, he was right. He was completely and absolutely right. Was I an idiot? What was I apologizing for? I had protected Levi. I...had _protected_ Levi! With the knowledge of such a thing still so fresh, I found it almost impossible contain my delight.

Flashing Levi a grand smile from beneath his hand, I dusted off his shoulders and straightened out his sweatshirt. I wasn't exactly sure if he even appreciated the motherly gesture. He didn't put a stop to it, though, so I figured it was okay.

"You're right," I murmured, finally removing his hand from my mouth. Even though Levi had been in minimal danger, it still felt _amazing_ to put my guardian angel status to good purpose. "I probably shouldn't have apologized, but I couldn't help myself. Saying sorry was the first thing that came to mind."

I heard Levi sigh, as he bent over and began collecting the plate shards that had fallen to the floor. Sweeping up the smaller pieces with his hands, he whispered, "Apologizing shouldn't always be your default response, especially when you haven't even done anything wrong."

Again, he was right. Lending him a hand by picking up the plate pieces that had landed on the counter, we both tossed the broken remnants into the garage can beneath the sink.

Once that was said and done, Levi eyed a few more plates that needed to be put away. Swallowing his pride for probably the first time in his life, he asked, "Can you...help me with those?"

Knowing that words would only ruin this Kodak moment, I smiled sweetly, nodded, and reached for one of the plates.

* * *

Come noon, I had spent the entire morning following Levi around as he cleaned the apartment. His prior definition of "from top to bottom" really hadn't been a joke. From floors to high bookshelves, Levi left the place looking better than a magazine ad. I had to admit, I was pretty amazed. His cleaning skills had exceeded my expectations, leaving me to believe that reincarnation upon reincarnation must have been spent preparing him for moments like this.

While Levi was finishing his final touch ups, the sound of frantic footsteps caused both of our heads to look up.

"Sleeping Beauty is finally awake," Levi chuckled, as he swung his bottle of glass cleaner by its nozzle. I had to cringe at that nickname, even if it wasn't directed towards me. It reminded me too heavily of Jean. Ugh.

"Yeah, yeah, and Sleeping Beauty is late," Erwin scoffed. He combed his hand through his hair, clearly not minding that it looked less than stellar. I was sure that Levi would have something to say about that, but he held his tongue.

Keeping up with the conversation, though, Levi wondered, "Who's the professor today? Is he strict?"

Erwin was looking himself over in a mirror that was situated on the wall, by the front door. He straightened his sweater, and answered, "No, he's pretty lenient, so I think I'll be okay. Plus, I'm his top student."

"What's his name?"

I felt kind of strange being the observer of a conversation that I wasn't a part of. Still, I remained silent and waited for his answer just like Levi.

"Mr. Arlert." What. "Okay, I really have to go now, so I'll see you later. You have work this afternoon, right? I'll bring burgers home for dinner. Sound cool?" Wait, what?

"Yeah, sounds cool to me. Later."

Wait, hold on. Arlert? As in...Armin Arlert? Was Erwin's professor...Armin? No, that couldn't have been right. Hange would have told me. Then again, he had failed to inform me that Levi's boss was Mikasa.

"Aw, crap," I heard Levi call out, from the other room. Wait, the other room? When did he...?

In search of his location, I asked, "What is it? What's the matter?"

I found him in the dining room, holding what looked to be a textbook in his hands. "Erwin forgot his Geography book here. We have to bring it to him."

"We do?" I questioned at first. Then, the idea of being able to catch a glimpse of Erwin's professor had crossed my mind, and I was quickly agreeing with him. "I mean, we do!"

"Alright, let me grab my shoes," Levi said, "and you...wait, are people going to be able to see you?"

Baffled by his question, I asked him to clarify. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you know..." He gestured toward the pajamas I was borrowing. "Those aren't your...angel clothes. Is it going to look like a pair of floating pajamas is following me?"

At first, I was surprised by the innocence of his question. After the initial shock had faded, I could only muffle a laugh. "I think you're confusing me with a ghost, Levi. Angels, we're very different from ghosts. Also, we're not really supposed to talk about them, so I'd rather not get into too much detail. All I know is that you and anyone else who has ever crossed my life path will be able to see me. Everyone else will not. I guess that refers to any articles of clothing I'm wearing, as well."

Levi nodded at that, undoubtedly finding it interesting. "That's pretty cool. I guess that would also explain why no one saw a smear of bronzer and mascara floating around yesterday. Alright, we have to go. Come on."

After Levi slipped on his boots and grabbed his keys, I followed him out of the apartment and down the stairs. Outside of the complex, I opted to take flight. There was never a time when stretching my wings felt anything less than godly, so I allowed myself to enjoy the opportunity to its fullest.

By the time we'd reached the college campus, I had half a mind to ask Levi if he knew where he was going, but something in the way that he seemed to be completely confident in his sense of direction suggested that this wasn't the first time Erwin had forgotten his book.

Landing less than gracefully, I followed behind Levi, as he entered one of the many buildings. Something about what we were doing felt illegal - after all, Levi wasn't even a student - but I kept my mouth shut and my feet moving.

On the uppermost floor, Levi placed a kick in his stride, and started toward one of the very last doors on the right. It was a bit of a struggle to keep up, but I managed. I needed answers. I needed to know if Erwin's professor was...

"Today, we are going to be reviewing the material that was on your exams last week. I find it quite disheartening that nearly all of you failed them. Did you forget to study?"

How Levi had managed to slip into the classroom without being noticed was far beyond my knowledge, however, I was much too stunned to even focus on that right now.

Standing just feet away, marking the whiteboard with the goals for today's lesson, was my past comrade, my witty companion, my only best friend.

"...Armin?"

Stupid. I was stupid. I was so, incredibly stupid.

At the sound of his name, the professor's head turned to look at the doorway. As if the sight of an angel standing outside of his classroom wasn't enough of a shock, surely the sight of an angel wearing backwards pajamas would do him in.

I watched his breath waver and his eyes go wide. I waited for it. I waited for the same reaction that I'd received so many times before. It would hurt, I knew it would, but I was ready this time.

What I got was entirely different.

"...Eren?"

* * *

_Hi there! Chappy here! :D_

_Yay, long chapter. Yay, more cliffhangers. Obviously, this one is a bit of a doozy. I hope it's left you looking forward for more!_

_Thank you for taking the time to read, and as always, I hope you've enjoyed!_

_- Chappy_


	11. Unexpected Occurrences

You know that feeling you get, when you feel like the moment you close your eyes, you'll open them up to reality? That the dream you've been living will make itself known and you'll be forced to get up, brush yourself off, and start over? If I could place that very feeling into a mathematical equation, I was probably experiencing ten times over the legal limit of surreality.

There was no doubt about it. Armin knew who I was. He _remembered_.

Our eyes were locked and our lips were loaded, years of unspoken conversations lingering on either of our tongues. A reunion through random encounter...there wasn't any time for this. Obviously, he had a class to teach. And me, I had to watch over Levi.

Wait. Where was Levi?

"Come on, Eren." I heard a whispered voice spoken close to my ear. It was with that whisper that a sense of security washed over me. However, it was still beyond my wildest of imaginations how Levi's stealth level was high enough for him to sneak into a classroom that was full of students and not get caught by the professor. Then again, I guess I kind of had a part in his successful mission. I served to be a pretty good distraction. "Eren, let's go."

"Eren..." It was Armin who had said it. "Is that...you?"

Yes, it was me. Armin, of _course_ it was me. I looked the same, didn't I? Remember when you compared my expression to that of a criminal? Or worse,_ Jean_? Honestly, he and I looked nothing alike. Especially not now.

I could sense Levi's frustration, just as much as I could sense his confusion. Both emotions were practically radiating off of him and against my arm. He had been tugging it, trying to get me to follow him, but the moment he had heard Armin's voice calling out to me, he was knowledgeable enough in the way that this whole angel thing worked to know what that meant.

And me, why couldn't I respond? Was I afraid? No, hardly. Armin was my best friend. Well, Armin _was _my best friend. Just in the same way that Mikasa _was_ my sister, Erwin _was_ my commander, and Levi...

"Everyone." My gaze was instantly snapped back into focus. "Turn to the second unit in your textbooks and review the material again. Pay special attention to page thirty-four and thirty-eight and take notes. I will reschedule your exam for the day after tomorrow. Group up and treat this class as a study period. I expect you all get passing grades this time around. Now, if you'd excuse me for a moment."

My heart dropped into my stomach, as I watched him approach me. He was so tall, much taller than I could have ever estimated him to grow. His shoulders were strong and broad, gently swaying with each step he took.

It must have seemed strange that my initial reaction was to back away from him. Then again, could you really blame me? This was something I hadn't been expecting. Suspecting? Yeah, maybe a little bit. With Erwin calling his professor "Mr. Arlert", how could I not? Still, was I expecting it? Not at all.

Closing the door behind him as he exited the classroom, it was made boldly apparent that Armin's eyes had never once left mine. Not even when he had addressed his class, and he had still been able to remain surprisingly direct. I swallowed. He spoke again.

"Eren, it is you, isn't it?"

It was amazing how much his voice had deepened with age. This wasn't the little, barely pre-pubescent voice that I remembered. No, this voice was strong, steady. It was composed of all of the credentials necessary for terming it as professional.

I nodded my head in a way that made it seem as if I was unsure of my answer. Wait, was it me? I wasn't so certain anymore.

"Um, can someone _please_ tell me what's going on here?"

For the sake of Levi's sanity, I was able to find my voice. Clearing my throat and straightening my shoulders served to do me pretty good. With my new posture and my phlegm-free throat, I was finally ready to say, "It's been...a while."

He laughed softly, and it was through Armin that all of the negative, nervous energy dissipated. "A while is a bit of an understatement, Eren. Seriously, how long has it been?"

"A thousand years, and then some?" I chuckled, feeding off of his gentle laughter.

"Wow. Wow, you just, you really lose track of the time, huh? Or would it be more appropriate to say 'lifetimes'?"

This was awesome. Oh, it was such a breath of fresh air. Not having to explain the process of lifetimes, not having to be the messenger of all news from above, it was such a relief. Finally, to be able to talk to someone who just _gets_ it. Yeah, it was pretty great.

"So, please," Armin said, gesturing his hand for both Levi and me to follow him, "allow me to take you somewhere more private."

By his lead, we were guided back up the hallway that Levi and I had all but raced down to get to Erwin's classroom in time. This pace, however, was much more controlled. It was comfortable, even. It felt as right as right could be, when you had a college professor, a hair and make-up stylist, and a guardian angel all walking together.

"You know, I'm surprised you're not asking about his wings." Coasting his elbow along the stairwell railing, Levi proceeded to say, "They're usually the first thing people notice; that is, if those people can see him."

Armin pressed a finger to the bridge of his glasses, pushing them up his nose and straightening out the frames. "Oh, well, I was mostly waiting until we found a better place to discuss these things," he smiled, "but I guess it wouldn't hurt to mention that they're mighty magnificent, Eren. Angel wings, I presume? You'll have to explain that one to me."

And that I didn't mind. I didn't mind it, because Armin actually seemed _genuinely_ interested in what I would have to tell him, unlike Mikasa who just seemed...distant.

"Of course!" I responded. "It'll be just like old times, huh? Actually, it'll be kind of like the reverse of old times, though, because you usually did all of the explaining and we did all of the listening, but I think you get the point."

Again, another small laugh left Armin's lips. "Yeah," he agreed. "Just like old times."

Once we were seated in an uninhabited teacher lounge, I did my very best to get comfy like both Levi and Armin, but my wings refused to cooperate. Shifting and shimmying against the squishy sofa chair, the moment I'd found the perfect position for my wings to have enough room, every other part of my body felt strained. It was your average win-lose situation.

"How about I try and find a stool for you, Eren?" Armin suggested. "I think they still have some in the old art room. Let me go check real quick."

I thanked him, as he walked out of the lounge. Not surprisingly, when Levi and I were alone, he began asking me some questions.

"Who is that, Eren?" was his first question, one that I happily obliged.

"His name is Armin Arlert," I began, "and he was one of my best...okay, well, he was my _only_ best friend."

"Which lifetime?"

This was where things would get a little awkward. After all, Armin obviously knew who Levi was, but the acquaintanceship was not shared. To explain that Armin had been a part of my first lifetime, wouldn't Levi be able to piece together the possibility of him having known Armin as well?

"My first," I answered, and luckily, I was safe for the time being. Armin had just walked back into the lounge with a paint-stained stool in hand.

"Here you go, Eren," he said, with a smile. "It's probably not as comfortable as these sofas, but it'll be more suitable for your, er, shape."

Armin set the stool down beside me. Graciously, I thanked him again and perched myself up onto the hard wood of the seat. It took some getting used to, but it wasn't so bad. It was definitely better than having my wings squashed against the back of a sofa.

When Armin had taken his seat across from Levi, directly diagonal from me, he folded his arms over his lap and crossed his legs. I couldn't deny it; he was _such _a teacher. "So, Eren," he spoke, catching my attention, "I'm not entirely sure what I should ask, or which question would be most appropriate to ask first, so how about you just give me a brief summary of this whole thing with your wings and stuff."

I snickered at his use of the word "appropriate". Yup. Definitely a teacher.

"I guess I should start from the very beginning, then," I said. It couldn't hurt to tell my entire story, could it? After all, even Levi still didn't know everything, either.

"Well, it all started on the morning of November 1st. That day was just a bad day all around. I woke up tired, couldn't get my stupid alarm clock to shut off, and I got stopped on the way to school by-oh." Armin would know who I was talking about. "I got stopped by Mina."

"Mina Carolina?" Armin questioned, completely enthralled by such an interesting part in my story.

I nodded. "Yup. The one and only. She...didn't recall our past lifetime together, though. If she did, she probably wouldn't have had such a big crush on me."

Again, I was interrupted by Armin's amiable laughter, followed by him saying, "You've got to be kidding, right? There's no way she had a crush on _you_."

"Hey! I take that with offense! I mean, I'm a pretty good guy. Right, Levi?" I hadn't meant to turn the conversation on him, but it didn't feel right just leaving him out of everything. Especially since he probably wouldn't understand most of what we were saying.

"Huh?" He sounded disinterested. "Oh, yeah. I guess." Correction. He sounded _very_ disinterested.

Obviously, that didn't sit well with me. Did I do something wrong? Was it something I said?

"So, what happened next, Eren?" Armin prompted. He was probably trying to ease some of the awkward tension that was beginning to loom about the room.

"Oh, right. Okay." In order to prepare myself for the the continuation of my story, I inhaled deeply. This would be the difficult part to explain. Thinking, let alone talking about my death wasn't exactly something that I was excited about doing. However, it was an important piece of my puzzle and it needed to be shared.

"So, as Mina and I were walking to school, she asked me if I liked her. Like, romantically, you know? I didn't know what to say... I mean, I knew that I didn't like her in that way, but she was a year younger than me and I really didn't want to hurt her feelings. Still, she got really upset with me and stormed off.

What happened next, it's kind of a blur. I remember what happened, and I remember how it happened, but I'm still unsure of the length of time that it took me to actually...die."

Just saying that sent a shiver down my spine. The silence that followed wasn't the least bit welcome, either. It was uncomfortable and heavy. Suffocating. It was suffocating like the car exhaust that had taken over my lungs and made my brain go numb with lack of oxygen.

I didn't like this. Death was a part of the cycle of life, sure, I was well aware of that; and I'd died enough times for that to make itself blatantly apparent. But this memory, it was still too fresh. Unlike my other lifetimes, where I had to go through a period of infancy, the memories didn't come back gradually. Nope, they were all right there my head, which currently, was feeling a little light.

"Do you want to take a break?" Armin suggested, but I quickly declined.

"No, no, I'm alright. I just needed a moment to organize my thoughts, but I'm alright now."

I folded my arms against my lower chest, and with another sharp breath to settle myself, I was ready to continue. "It happened really fast. Like every other, normal school day, I proceeded to cross the street. I thought nothing of it, really, but looking back, I probably should have been more aware of my surroundings." I paused for literary effect. "It had been a cold morning, colder than average. Mixed with the rain we'd received in my area the prior evening, it practically wrote itself out as a recipe for disaster. If I would have listened to the weatherman, I probably would have known that. But I didn't listen, and I wasn't paying attention."

"...What happened, Eren?" Again, Armin was the one who had asked.

"A car skidded on a patch of black ice and spun out of control. It crashed right into me." There was no reaction. I carried on. "I remember hearing the driver's voice. He was frazzled and speaking so fast that it was hard to make out what he was trying to say, but I could tell that he was concerned for my well-being. It didn't matter, though. It was already too late."

Armin pushed up his glasses and sighed, while Levi remained absolutely still. They were relatively diverse reactions, not exactly what I had been expecting.

"So, uh," I mumbled sheepishly, "should I continue?"

"Yes, please do," Armin said, with a nod. "Sorry for not saying anything, but this is some pretty heavy stuff. How old were you?"

"Fifteen," I answered, "but it's not like it was something that was unforeseen. I pretty much only had one year left to live. One and a half, if I was lucky."

"Ah, don't remind me."

That was a peculiar thing to say. "Don't remind you? What do you mean, Armin?" I asked, craving a sense of clarification.

"The time watch," he said, running his fingers across the length of his brow bone. "That's what I call it, at least. How you can't live any longer than you survived in your first life?"

"Yeah, yeah! Wow, you gave that thing a name? That's actually pretty clever."

I could tell that Armin prided himself with my response. "Of course it's clever," he affirmed. "Would you ever expect anything less from me?"

"Never," I chuckled. He had a point. I couldn't recall a time when Armin had ever said anything that was less than genius. Still, he hadn't really answered my question to its full extent. "But what did you mean when you said, 'Ah, don't remind me'?"

Suddenly, Armin didn't seem so sure of what he had wanted to say anymore. He looked pensive, like he was calculating his response. Nothing within his head stopped him from saying, "I said that, because my lifetime could be coming to an end any time now."

...What? No, seriously_, what_? How could that be? Armin, he couldn't have been a day older than twenty-five. Well, actually, he could have been, considering that his birthday was on the 3rd of November, but that was beyond the point. Was he trying to tell me that he hadn't lived any longer than that, during the era of the Titans?

"Armin, you-?"

"Keeping details to a minimum," he interjected, "yes, I died around this time many, many years ago. Throughout my lifetimes, I've lived a multitude of different lengths, but never once have I lived any longer than my first. You already know that, though."

This couldn't really be happening. Armin was so young, so full of knowledge and wisdom. How had he died? And why? His mentality was invaluable to all. Without it, surely, humanity must have deeply regretted his loss.

As much as I wanted to learn, I knew that I had to hold my tongue. Albeit nearly silent the entire time, Levi was still present. These were the very sort of things that should not and could not be discussed around his untrained ears.

"I'm...sorry to hear that, Armin. Wow..."

With his constant smile, Armin murmured, "Don't sweat it, Eren. This is just how the life cycles work, you know? You live, you die, you get reincarnated."

"Or you can become an angel, like me," I added.

It was one of those "duh" moments, where Armin slapped his hand against his cheek, and said, "I'm so sorry, Eren! You've only finished half of your story. Please, continue."

Oh, yeah. This was the part that I would have no trouble telling. Plus, I had a feeling Armin would get a kick out of the other two persons that held starring roles in my road to becoming an angel.

"Well, after I had died, I expected to be reincarnated as a baby. Clearly, that wasn't the case this time. I was reborn into this new body, in a place that was neither Heaven nor Hell. Get a load of this, Armin. It was called 'Maria'." Armin definitely seemed intrigued by that, but he chose to stay speechless. "Anyways, after I hatched out of my egg - and yes, apparently angels hatch out of those - I got a lovely earful from the king of jerks himself."

"...I'm sorry?" Oh, come on, Armin. You were doing so well. Please don't tell me you've forgotten all about his royal majesty himself.

"Um, Jean?" I stated, glad to see that his eyes lit up with a new understanding almost instantly. "Oh, and Historia, too. She was really nice to me, though. Really helpful and informative about my new life."

"And Jean? What about him?"

"Ugh," I groaned. "Well, I mean, he _did_ kind of teach me how to fly, but that's about it. Technically, he coaxed the act out of me from within, so it's not like he did anything _that_ extraordinary."

Armin must have been truly amused by me, because it had to have been the umpteenth time that I'd made him laugh. "Oh, Eren," he breathed. "You really haven't changed, have you?"

I couldn't agree or disagree to that. "Well, for obvious reasons, I am different from how I used to be. I have a whole new sense of purpose now." I turned my gaze toward Levi, readily expressing the gratitude that I had for being able to be a part of his life once again. It was a bit disappointing to realize that he still remained an aloof part of the conversation.

"Oh? And what's that?"

Armin knew what I was hinting at, but he possessed a devious side, as well. He just wanted to hear me say it, probably because he was hoping to get a rouse out of me. But that wouldn't happen. I was proud of my title. I wasn't going to hide it behind a pair of stuttering lips and bashfully blushing cheeks.

"Protecting Levi," I spoke, the air surrounding us serving as a mode for carrying my sturdy voice. "His life is my most important priority, and I will guard and protect him no matter what."

Rising to his feet, Armin had attracted both Levi's and my attention. He flexed his fingers and flicked his wrist, taking a quick peek at his watch. "This is quite unfortunate," he sighed solemnly. "My students have been alone for nearly twenty minutes now. I can only imagine what kind of world war they're starting back up there."

"Are college students really that misbehaved?" I wondered. To me, it sounded as if he was describing middle school behavior.

"Oh, they can be," Armin chuckled. "Trust me."

And I did. Of course I trusted him. I trusted his judgement over my own all those handfuls of hundreds of years ago. Why would my trust be altered now?

"Does this mean you have to leave?" I asked, my wings unintentionally slumping against my shoulders. It was sad; _I _was sad. When would I get to see him again? _Would_ I even get to see him again? So many questions were swarming in my brain like buzzing bees, yet the tick-tocking of his wrist watch placed a limit on how much there was left to say.

"Sadly, yes. My students are waiting for me, and they probably have a some questions regarding the material I left them with to study."

"But wait!" I said quickly. "I still haven't learned very much about you and what your life has been like up until now. At least tell me about this lifetime of yours. Are you married? Why did you choose to become a professor? What about children?"

Armin held up a hand to calm to frantic questioning. "Whoa, whoa. One at a time, man." He ran that very same hand carefully through his golden hair. He must have forgotten that he wore it in a half ponytail today, because his fingers nearly got tangled up in it, when they coasted past his fringe. "You asked if I'm married?" I nodded. "That I am not. No children, either. As for becoming a professor, I really couldn't picture myself in a different occupation than this. Could you? You have to admit, it's my perfect fit." To boast a professional effect, he poked at the frame of his glasses.

I couldn't have agreed more, actually. Not only was Armin a professor, but he was a Geography professor. For him to be able to teach about all of the lands that we'd won over from the Titans, it just made sense, and I was incredibly proud of him.

When we'd passed the twenty-five minute mark, we gathered in the hall outside of the teacher lounge and began to say our farewells. Rather, Armin and I started to say goodbye, and Levi continued to remain painfully silent.

It was bittersweet, of course, because I felt like there was still so much left that needed to be said. Armin didn't know very much about my angel body, and the fact of that only left me feeling like our conversation was incomplete.

"When I woke up today, I couldn't, in my wildest of dreams, have expected this," Armin said. The smile that he wore showed me that saying goodbye was just as hard on him as it was for me. The whens and the woulds were probably running through his mind, just as they had been racing through mine. "But it was a pleasant occurrence, Eren, one that I most certainly will treasure. And by all means, feel free to stop by whenever you'd like. And of course, you're welcome to come, too, Levi."

It must have felt strange for Armin to be inviting a man of former authority, but he seemed to be relatively unfazed by it.

Without verbal response, Levi nodded his head and crossed his arms over his chest. Okay, something was definitely up. I'd have to talk with him later.

My heart swelled with a range of emotions that found a source of outlet through my fluttering wings. Goodbye felt so final, so I wouldn't say it. Instead, I chose to say, "I'll be sure to take you up on that offer, Armin. Hopefully we'll run into each other again really soon."

"I agree." A single nod. "I definitely agree."

Just as we were parting ways, Levi taking the lead by about twenty feet, Armin told me to hold up, something that both confused and excited me all at the same time.

"What is it, Armin?"

"You haven't changed, Eren," he said, repeating his statement from earlier and catching me completely off guard. Imagine that. A guardian angel being caught off guard. It's angel humor.

"What do you mean?"

Shaking his head, he corrected me by saying, "What I mean is, just the same as you did in the past, you still care so desperately about him."

Him. Armin need not even mention a name, because we were both on the same page. Not just the same page, we were on the same paragraph, the same sentence. We were on the same word, the same letter, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

"I do," I smiled, speaking the truest of words from lips that couldn't have been prouder to say them. "From then, until now, and forever in between, I will always love him."

* * *

Levi's quietness didn't particularly bother me, as we walked back to the apartment in order for him to get dressed for work. I didn't really irk me, as I watched him perform at his job. When it did concern me, was when were walking back to the apartment from the hair salon and I couldn't properly hold his gaze for more than a millisecond.

"Levi," I said, lowering my flying altitude. I wanted him to be able to hear me, but more than that, I wanted him to be able to _talk _to me.

Levi fished around in his satchel bag for his cell phone. Retrieving it after some digging around, he brought the archaic thing up to his ear, and asked, "What is it?"

"You've barely said anything, since the moment we met Armin. Why are you-?"

"You mean when _I_ met Armin," he interrupted.

"...Huh?" I'm pretty sure I had been present. Why was he excluding me from something like this?

"_You_ already knew each other," Levi countered, "so it was hardly a meet and greet. I was the one who was left in the dark over everything."

My worries had been solidified with that very statement. The entire time Armin and I were conversing, Levi had felt out of place.

And it was entirely my fault.

"Levi, I didn't-" I tried, desperate to defend myself, but again, it was merely a lost cause.

"No, you didn't," Levi cut in, his tone a telltale sign that he was irritated. "You didn't mean anything. You and Armin, you were reconnecting, and that's just fine and dandy. Really, it is."

"Why do you sound so upset, then?" I was sure I had gone unheard, what with the way I hadn't spoken in a voice that was above a whisper, but all in all, Levi still responded.

"Because I'm _frustrated_!"

Whoa. That was unexpected. Levi had just...yelled.

So stunned by the situation, my wings went into shock. Just as I was about to collapse catastrophically to the ground below, I had finally been able to stick one of the most controlled landings of my entire flying career. Under different circumstances, I would have been proud of myself. Currently, I was in no mood to feel like celebrating.

Closing his eyes, Levi pressed a set of fingers to his creasing brow and sighed. "Eren, I'm sorry. That...that came out wrong. I mean, I am frustrated, but I shouldn't have yelled like that."

I had to be honest, I was a little scared. I was fearful of the fact that my next question may or may not have set Levi off again. Timing myself accordingly, I cautiously asked, "...Can you tell me why you're frustrated, Levi?"

It took him a minute to fully compose himself, but once he did, Levi awarded me with his answer. "All I could think about during your conversation with Armin was, 'Wow, I want to be able to talk with Eren like that.' I was legitimately _envious_ of him."

I tried to make further sense of what he was saying, by asking, "What do you mean, Levi? Of course you and I can talk like that. We can talk for however long you'd like to and I wouldn't mind it!"

"But it's not the _same_, Eren. It won't ever be the same, and it's all because I can't remember a freaking thing." This was a new development that I hadn't been anticipating, but I allowed him to continue. "You and Armin, you can understand each other. Hange, too. If I wasn't present, you probably would have gone on and on about your past life together, but because of me, you were forced to filter yourselves. As much that annoyed me, I was still so envious, because that's what I _want_. I want to be able to talk freely with you about the memories we used to share, the ones that you have to carry all by yourself. Because of all of this, I want to be able to connect with you on a deeper level, Eren, and it's not fair that I can't."

That was the final straw. I couldn't let him speak like that anymore.

As cliche as it sounds, time stood still. My body possessed a mind of its own, and my arms were controlled by a different agenda. Blanketing Levi in my warmth, I wrapped my arms around the backs of his shoulders, shielding him from the outside world through the guarded protection of my tented wings.

"Eren-"

"But you can, Levi." It was _my_ turn to interrupt him. "Everything you just said, all of those things can happen. We _can_ connect deeper, and we _can_ speak freely. The past is...the past is the past. You can't recreate it, nor can you change it."

Levi was unmoving, and that was just the way I liked it. I wanted to hold him, and from his slouching posture, I'm pretty sure he didn't mind it all that much.

Time began to run its course again, when he softly whispered, "What should we do, then?"

I was no expert, but I had been able to think of a clever enough idea. "What should we do?" I repeated calmly, wanting to make sure that I had heard him correctly. "Well, for right now, I think we should live in the present. Let's go back to the apartment, yeah? You can take a shower and relax, and then we can start "bonding". It's just like you wanted, right?" I knew I was stretching my luck by acting playfully with him, but he seemed to receive my humor well.

"Oh, stop it," he scoffed, and brushed me off of his shoulders. "You're such a romantic dork."

"I'm an angel!" I laughed. It seemed to be my only case of defense. "Doesn't romance kind of come along with the whole, celestial package?"

There was no doubt about it. Levi was rolling his eyes at me. "Whatever. Let's just get back already."

When we finally returned to the apartment, our dramatic detour long put behind us, Levi decided to turn on the television. He must have switched it onto a news station, because the words "BREAKING NEWS" came flashing onto the screen in obnoxiously bright red letters.

"...Whoa."

I had been shaking out my wings, trying to stretch them for the final time that evening, so I wasn't able to pay as much attention as Levi was to what was happening on the screen. "What is it?" I wondered, trying to take a peek over the mound of my fluffy feathers.

Without a word, Levi turned up the volume, allowing me to hear for myself what was going on in the world.

"At 6:47PM this evening, a college professor was struck and shot down by an armed thug, who was attempting to steal from a middle-aged woman on her commute home from work. When the professor intervened, the thug pulled the trigger, shooting him straight through the heart. He died before an ambulance was called to scene. He was only twenty-five-years old."

* * *

_Hi there! Chappy here! :D_

_Well...I should probably start this note off with an apology. I'm sorry for your loss, everyone. :I_

_Other than this "unexpected occurrence" (haha, see what I did there?), I hope you enjoyed the chapter! It was my longest one yet!_

_Thank you for taking the time to read!_

_- Chappy_


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